Mrs Snape
by Drusilla Dax
Summary: Hermione makes a choice. /sequel to A Single Night/
1. Chapter 1

Rating and notes: R18 (with many canon twists).

Pairings: Severus/Hermione

Summary: Hermione makes a choice. (sequel to _A Single Night_)

Disclaimer: I'm _just_ playing with other people's toys. May I be forgiven in my next incarnation! Flamers and thieves will be adopted by my blood relatives (if you don't believe it's a threat... too bad for you!).

Editor: Mikee. The remaining mistakes are all mine, and I apologize for those.

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**Mrs Snape**

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Hermione Granger managed to convince Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley to go get some sleep. She told them that the war might be over, but the Wizarding community was in complete chaos, and it'd take them all a lot of time to manage a semblance of order and normalcy.

The young men knew that she was right, and they announced that they'd go to their old dorm.

Hermione pretended that she'd do the same. Instead, she had different plans.

For over a year, Hermione had done everything in order to make sure that she could spend the rest of her life with the man she loved, and that man had been cruelly murdered right in front of her tonight.

They'd had one short night together. That was all.

She'd hoped to have years with him, but he'd bled to death, assassinated by a demented Dark Lord.

To protect the man she loved, she'd kept their attraction secret, even from her best friends.

When Severus Snape was killed, she felt as if she'd died with him.

Hermione looked at her reflection in a glass-pane, and she gasped. She looked like a zombie.

She knew, as if she were a seer, that there was no one else in the world for her, and now that he was dead, she didn't see the point of remaining in this world.

Her parents were living happily on the other side of the world, and thanks to her Memory-charm, they'd never remember that they'd had a daughter. If they were to read about her death, they wouldn't even acknowledge their loss, and she thought that it was for the best. There was no point in telling them that their only daughter was another victim of Voldemort; besides, she wasn't sure that they'd have understood her love for a Slytherin wizard, who was old enough to be her father – that wasn't a good choice, by Muggle standards.

Hermione walked to the desk, and saw a letter opener that looked quite like a dagger. She took it and let the blade caress her wrist; it'd be so easy to cut her veins. She was good in anatomy, and she knew what she had to do to be efficient.

Then, she realized that someone would have to clean up her blood, and she thought it'd be unfair.

"Poison," she thought.

She would go down to the dungeons, and she'd brew some poison. It'd be clean, and it'd be linked to Severus.

A potion was the best choice, since she was still breathing, and he was not.

She briefly contemplated the idea of writing a letter, but that felt… useless.

She didn't give a fig about what people would say when she was gone. All she wanted was to be closer to him; if she hurried, she'd catch up with his soul, and they'd be together again.

'Miss Granger?'

The voice almost made her jump out of her skin.

She turned towards the portrait of the late Albus Dumbledore.

'You look terrible, Miss Granger,' Dumbledore said.

The old wizard in the frame looked so concerned that Hermione's heart broke. Her silent tears truly frightened Dumbledore.

'Miss Granger… The war is over now. You can rest and heal,' he said.

She sobbed, and with tears rolling down her cheeks, she said, 'He's dead.'

Dumbledore blinked once. 'Who?' he asked gently.

Hermione sobbed again and attempted to dry her tears. Her feelings were overwhelming her more and more as she said, 'Severus.'

The Dumbledore in the frame had been visiting other paintings during the last battle, and he'd had a hard time keeping track of the victims of Riddle and his minions. He gasped.

'I'm sorry that you've lost your former Potions master,' he said.

Hermione snorted. 'Tell the others…' she began to say.

She reflected that no one would understand. She waved her hand in dismissal, dried her tears and murmured, 'Goodbye.'

'Miss Granger?' Dumbledore said.

She walked towards the door, ignoring the portrait. She had such a look on her face that Dumbledore called, 'Hermione!'

She didn't answer, and that truly worried the magical painting of the late headmaster. He decided to go look for Minerva McGonagall, in the hope that his faithful old friend would be able to help the young, distraught witch.

Dumbledore believed that Hermione was reacting to Snape's death so strongly because she'd been on the front line, helping Harry face the ultimate evil for years now, and that the loss of a mentor was just a nasty blow. He couldn't begin to imagine that this was the last straw that just broke Hermione's heart and soul.

After her single night with her lover, Hermione had _never_ even hinted that anything had happened between her and Severus Snape. All she knew was that, in the morning, he hadn't cast a Memory-charm on her because she'd managed to convince him that they could hide their feelings. The _only_ thing that had kept her going throughout the darkest moments of the war was the prospect of going back to her lover.

Severus had kept their secret well, too. No one would have believed that he'd decided to turn the page, heal, and move on; most believed that he was cold-hearted, and those who'd known him when he was reading at Hogwarts were convinced that he was still in love with the late Lily Evans. No one had ever understood Severus Snape; not when he was attached to Lily, not when he fell for Hermione.

Severus had fought to protect Harry because the young man was Lily's son and her most precious legacy to her world, but by the end of the war, protecting Harry meant making sure that Hermione was safe, not that the young woman needed much protection.

In fact, Severus was convinced, which deeply surprised him, that if Lord Voldemort had had to face Hermione when she joined the Wizarding community, the Dark Lord wouldn't have been able to keep on existing. In spite of the Horcruxes that protected Tom Riddle, there had been one opening against him when he went after the Philosopher's stone, and Severus was convinced that the little witch, who'd deciphered his riddle then, would have found a way to poison the demented warlock.

Severus had begun to hope that he might see the end of the war and escape to some quiet spot. He'd begun to hope that Hermione would come back to him.

He'd vowed to himself that, if she did come back to him, he would propose to her. If they both survived, if they hadn't changed their minds, then it would be illogical to waste time. Just as Hermione knew that there was no other man, Muggle or wizard, who would accept her fully, Severus knew that there was no other woman who'd want him.

As he lay dying, Severus had wanted to ask Harry to look after Hermione, but the energy he'd used to give Harry the memories that the young wizard needed in order to understand a few key moments of the past had depleted him of all strength. Severus died without being able to voice his fears for Hermione; he'd just hoped that Harry was honourable and caring and would protect and take care of the young witch, who was now all alone.

Severus hadn't been able to look at Hermione, and that saddened him.

Severus's soul was hanging around his body, waiting for… something. He didn't know what, but he felt it was important.

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Hermione went down slowly. It reminded her too much of the night she'd collided with Severus and ended up in his arms.

She walked into the Potions class. It no longer looked the way it had the last time she'd had a lesson there.

When she reached the door to Severus's private lab, she felt that there were very strong wards on the entire room. Even months after Severus had fled from Hogwarts, the spell was still working.

When she placed her hand on the door handle, she heard the door magically unlock itself.

She fought her tears as she smiled and said, 'Severus.'

She cast a spell to relock the door, and she cried again when Severus's magic gave her full control of the room.

She looked around. She reflected that she might not have to brew a poison; her Severus might have kept something among his phials.

She took a deep breath and tried to figure out where he'd have hidden a lethal potion. She found jars, ingredients and bits of parchments with which he'd been working when he left, and it broke her heart to think that his body was lying in a dusty old shack and that she was the only one who cared.

As she'd deciphered his mysteries throughout the years, she tried to think like him.

She tried to remember everything she knew about him, and then… she remembered his opening speech the year she'd arrived at Hogwarts. She wondered why he hadn't taken steps to protect himself… or had he?

Suddenly, she was panicking, which she knew was counter-productive.

'Where would you hide something important, Severus?' she inquired aloud.

When she was stressed, she tended to do that.

Right then, there was a chime, and the Invisibility spell on a tiny, glowing phial stopped shielding it from her eyes.

She'd been observing him, but he'd been doing the same with her. She felt as if her heart were being stabbed, literally; she snorted at the idea of having a heart attack, because _that_ would be too ironic.

Her poor heart almost stopped when she read the label on the glass container. "_Drink me_", it said, and she seriously doubted that his father had been the kind to read _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ to him; Severus must have read the Muggle book for her.

Trusting him entirely, she drank the contents of the phial.

She felt as if she were falling. She was being taken into a recorded memory left for her.

The image of Severus in that memory was in a place that she didn't know, and he was using a mirror to record his goodbye.

He smiled sadly and said, "_My dearest Hermione, if you're seeing this, it means that I've been killed, and that you still care about me. If you're seeing this long after my death there's nothing that can be done now, and I can't tell you how sorry I am to leave you alone in this world_."

Hermione saw and felt that he was sincere. She wanted to cry, but she was unable to in her present state.

He went on, "_However, if I've been recently killed, there's a potion I hid in an empty sugar bowl in the kitchen. I ordered the house-elves to keep it safe, and you know how they are. If you can make me swallow a few drops of it within six hours of my death, that potion should take care of the spells that killed me_."

He paused, cleared his throat and went on, "_Even if it doesn't work, Hermione, I want to give you all my love_."

He kissed the tip of his fingers, and the instant he touched the mirror in the memory, Hermione felt the warm wave of his feelings rushing through her veins, and she was brought back to the here and now of the lab.

'I can save him!' she said as she rushed to the kitchen.

She was too distressed to realize that, when he brewed his potion, he'd thought that he'd be killed with a spell, _and_ that the time-frame was almost up.

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[Next part as soon as possible]


	2. Chapter 2

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

Now… fasten your seat-belt… *Slyth grin*

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She'd _never_ run faster in her entire life.

She was quite relieved to see that the kitchen door was open, but her heart sank when she saw that the kitchen was a battlefield. She didn't know who'd fought in there, but not much was in its place, or intact.

She gasped, afraid that something might have happened to the potion, but she knew that she had to act fast and tried to calm down.

She took her wand and said, '_Accio_, potion!'

Nothing happened.

There were a few house-elves who were already trying to restore order to the kitchen.

Hermione walked to them and asked, 'Can you help me?'

The house-elves ignored her.

She crouched and begged, 'Can you help me? I need to find something that was hidden here. Help me, please.'

They kept ignoring her.

'_Accio_, empty sugar bowl,' Hermione said.

Three empty sugar bowls flew towards her, but they were truly empty. She put them down and knelt on the floor, as she started sobbing.

The house-elves looked at her and traded looks; they seemed happy that Hermione was so sad.

'Idiots!' said an elf who entered the room.

The new elf rushed to Hermione and said, 'You're the Hermione.'

The young witch nodded and dried her tears.

'You need the Snape potion,' the elf said.

Hermione nodded.

The house-elf went to the larder and came back with the object that Severus had decided to hide in the most improbable room in the castle. None of his enemies would even have considered the kitchen as a place where he'd hide one of his most precious potions.

There was the same special spell as on the lab door on the sugar bowl, and it opened when Hermione touched it.

'Weniers hope that the Hermione can help with this,' the house-elf said.

'Thank you, Weniers. I must go to him now,' Hermione said.

The house-elf nodded, took a rolling-pin and turned towards the other house-elves.

'A word with you,' Weniers said, as Hermione ran out of the room.

The witch took the shortest way to get to Severus. A few of her friends saw her, but they couldn't begin to imagine what she would attempt to do in a few minutes.

She was out of breath when she reached the shack.

She almost fainted when she saw Severus's spirit floating near his body. She feared that she was too late, but she noticed that the spirit wasn't a ghost, and he was still linked to Severus.

The amount of blood made her flinch, and she realized that the wounds on her lover needed to be closed first.

She cast Healing spells on Severus. Once that was done, the spirit seemed to be able to be heard in the world of the living.

'Hermione, there's nothing to do,' he said. 'I'm sorry to leave you.'

'I've found your potion,' she said.

'Darling,' he said.

He sounded as if it were the first time he was using the word.

'What, Severus?' she asked as she was trying to find a way to make his corpse ingest a few drops of potion.

'It wasn't a spell that killed me,' he stated.

She froze, paled, and then said, 'No, but it was a Horcrux. I have to try, Severus.'

'Hermione, the magic in my potion could backfire and harm you,' he pointed out. 'This is not what I'd hoped for us.'

'Severus?' she whispered.

He looked so sad that it broke her heart once more.

'What did you hope? What were your plans?' she asked.

'There's no point, Hermione. Go back to the castle, and live a happy life,' he answered.

'What life?!' she shouted. 'Now, let me work,' she growled.

He looked completely stunned.

She put the tip of her wand into the phial of potion, used a spell to send the liquid inside his body, and then she activated the potion and said the most powerful Healing spell that she knew.

It didn't work.

The look on her face made him even sadder than he'd been the night Lily was murdered. He wanted to be able to hold her, but that would never happen again now.

'You're too cold. The potion can't re-activate your bloodstream. Running blood should do it!' Hermione exclaimed.

She took the letter opener that she'd mechanically put in her pocket, and she sliced open Severus's right palm. He instantly understood what she was planning to do.

'I can't let you do this, Hermione. This will kill you!' he shouted.

'You're the only reason I'm still alive. If I can't bring you back, I'd rather join you,' she explained.

'No! No, Hermione! I wanted to propose to you and keep you by my side. I don't want to be the cause of your death,' he declared.

She looked at him and asked, 'Do you mean that?'

'Of course!'

'No, I mean… You'd marry me?' she asked.

Severus was forced to smile; that was the only thing she'd registered. 'Yes,' he admitted in a sigh. 'I'd made up my mind the instant you left my quarters. If we survived, and if you came back to me, I'd propose to you.'

'I want to be with you,' she said in a sob.

'You've got to live, darling. You've got so much to give to the world,' he protested.

'If I can't bring you back, I'd rather die,' she declared as she cut her left palm open, drank the potion and activated it as she made her magic reach out for her lover.

The spells used all her energy, and their blood mixed together. Her life force found a way towards Severus, and just as Lily Potter had sacrificed herself to protect her son with some ancient spell, Hermione Granger found the only magic that could bring Severus Snape back to life.

As Hermione fainted, drained of energy, Severus's soul was sucked back into his resurrected body. Every part of him hurt, and the first breath was agonizing.

He could feel Hermione's ragged breathing as she lay on him; he knew that was good, and he briefly reflected that he'd have taken poison if she hadn't survived her bout of High magic. She was atrociously heavy on his painful chest, but she was alive, breathing, and he was alive, too. Thanks to Hermione – _his_ Hermione.

He hoped that she would recover soon because he was in no shape to move. He felt too drained and weak.

He could tell that there was something odd about the way he felt, but his mind was too foggy to realize what it was.

How could he even begin to imagine the price that they'd have to pay for being alive?

He closed his eyes and surrendered to physical and emotional exhaustion.

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The painted Albus managed to locate Minerva, and it took him a bit of time to have someone ask her to come and talk to him.

'What do you want to tell me, Albus?' Minerva inquired.

'Miss Granger reacted strangely to Severus's death. I'm afraid that she might be having a nervous breakdown now that the war is over. She must have been pushing herself too far,' the painting explained.

Minerva sighed deeply. There were so many things to do, so many people to heal, so many people to help mourn. The Scottish witch felt ancient when her old friend told her that her favourite student this decade was far from being well.

'I'll find her,' Minerva promised.

'If she's hiding, Harry might have something that could help you locate her,' Albus said cryptically.

Minerva nodded and went looking for Hermione. She asked the people who'd come to help them, her colleagues and the students, if they'd seen Hermione, but the last ones who'd seen her could only say that she'd been running somewhere about half an hour ago.

Sighing, Minerva asked a house-elf if he knew where Harry was, and she headed towards the Gryffindor dorms.

Harry and Ron had crashed in bed still dressed and were sleeping like logs. However, they'd spent too many months on the run, and the instant she neared their beds, she found herself with two wands pointing at her.

'Easy,' she said.

'Sorry, Professor,' Harry apologized.

Ron blushed and rubbed his eyes.

'It's perfectly understandable, Mr Potter. I'm sorry to disturb you, but Albus's portrait is concerned about Miss Granger. It seems that Severus's death disturbed her,' Minerva explained.

'It's true that it was gruesome,' Ron said.

Harry glared at his friend and turned to Minerva again. 'She's carried us through the war. I should have made sure she went to bed,' Harry declared.

'Albus seems to believe that you have a way of locating her,' Minerva said.

Harry nodded and summoned the Marauder's Map. He had to catch Hermione's handbag as it flew to him because he'd hid the map in her magically extended bag.

Harry activated the map, and he, Ron and Minerva tried to locate a dot with Hermione's name on it.

It was Harry who looked towards the Shrieking Shack on the map. Finding Hermione's dot there wasn't such a surprise, but finding one for Severus Snape was quite the shock.

Harry gasped and paled whiter than a shroud.

'What's wrong, mate?' Ron growled.

'Remember Pettigrew the rat? Only the living register on the map!' Harry said as he started running towards the shack.

Ron took a closer look at the map and realized that Severus Snape had to be alive.

'How?! We saw the snake kill him. He practically died in your arms!' Ron said.

'Hermione must have found a way,' Harry shouted, without even turning back.

Ron started running after him. Minerva did as well, but when she reached the stairs, she transformed into her Animagus form and launched herself into Harry's arms. He caught her easily and kept mumbling things she couldn't make out. She meowed, and Harry focussed on her.

'He wanted to tell me something. I want to know what. I need to know what,' Harry explained as he kept running.

Minerva transformed back when they reached the couple, lying on the dusty floor.

The three witnesses gasped; Severus and Hermione were alive, but pale as death. Their hands were still connected by the last bit of magic that Hermione had been able to do.

'She was willing to die to save him!' Ron spat.

'Weasley!' Minerva scolded him.

'She's an _idiot_,' Ron growled before storming out.

Harry sighed. Ron could be a real pain in the neck.

'What can we do, Professor?' Harry asked.

'We could take them to the hospital wing, but I'm afraid Poppy's too exhausted to deal with such a delicate case. We should take them towards Hogsmeade and Apparate them to St Mungo's in London,' she suggested.

Harry made them float together, and on their way outside, far from the Hogwarts' wards, he asked, 'Why did she risk her life?'

'What is the logical conclusion, Harry?' Minerva asked gently.

Harry was lost.

'For whom would you be willing to risk your life? Don't think, just answer,' she said.

'Ginny.'

'Why?'

'Because I lo…' Harry didn't finish his sentence.

It was mad, but Hermione had to be in love with the _greasy git_; otherwise, it was just pure madness.

And in a sense, Harry had to admit that they were quite a match those two.

'What's wrong with them?' Harry asked softly, as if he were afraid to hear the answer.

'Can't you feel it?' Minerva asked.

Harry shook his head and said, 'I feel something weird, but I don't know what it is.'

Minerva sighed and said, 'There's not an ounce of magic emanating from them. They're alive, but Muggles.'

Harry felt a tear roll down his cheek. What a last blow to a terrible day, and yet, they were both alive.

Harry couldn't imagine life without Ginny. Somehow, he understood Hermione.

Once outside, Minerva and he Disapparated to London with their two friends.

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[Next part as soon as possible]


	3. Chapter 3

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

Keep your seat-belt fastened … *Slyth grin*

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There were special wards in St Mungo's; anyone seeking medical help, or Apparating with someone who needed help, was instantly brought to Casualty. This is where the four of them arrived.

A team instantly rushed towards them. A Healer cast a Diagnosis spell, and then he froze.

'Why did you bring these _people_ here?' the Healer asked Minerva quite coldly.

'Their lack of magic is the result of a magical accident. Do something!' she barked.

The Healer snorted, and the nurses didn't dare say anything, pro or con.

Harry pointed his wand at the Healer's throat and hissed, 'I killed Voldemort tonight. If you don't want to be hexed to the South Pole, you're going to help my friends. I'm not losing them because of you.'

Harry's voice was so cold that the Healer flinched.

'Did you really kill the Dark Lord?' a young nurse asked.

There were sparks at the tip of Harry's wand. 'Yeah, I killed Riddle, so do something,' Harry growled.

'Perhaps we can try to find a Healer with a brain,' Minerva spat.

Harry briefly looked at Severus, who was floating in the air, holding Hermione against him.

'Yes, but there's something I'd like to try, too,' Harry told his former professor. He focussed on the Healer and said, '_Legilimens_!'

Harry was quite surprised to be able to enter the Healer's thoughts and to find what he needed to know. He put an end to the spell.

'All right, now I see why you're such an idiot, and I'm not letting you anywhere near Snape and Hermione,' Harry said.

'Harry?' Minerva said.

Before Harry answered her, he cast the Sonorus charm on himself and said, 'WE NEED A HEALER WITH A BRAIN HERE. WE'VE GOT A WITCH AND A WIZARD WHO LOST THEIR MAGIC.'

'This is a hospital!' one of the nurses growled.

'I wouldn't need to yell if you guys weren't a bunch of twats. I've lost too many friends; I'm not losing these two,' Harry said, after having put an end to his spell.

'And I'm too tired. Just don't piss me off!' Minerva hissed with anger.

'Professor!' Harry exclaimed.

'Sorry, Harry, but it's been a long decade,' she explained. 'And call me Minerva, now,' she added.

Harry grinned, which made him look like a little boy. It warmed Minerva's heart that Voldemort, and the last battle, hadn't completely destroyed Harry's innocence.

Right then, a very old witch Apparated next to them. She was a foot smaller than Harry; her robes were as white as her hair, and she looked like an old china doll.

She smiled and said warmly, 'I hear you need help.'

Harry nodded.

The old lady looked at her colleague and waved him away. The reluctant Healer Disapparated.

'Bring them to my surgery,' the old lady told the nurses.

Two of them obeyed immediately.

'Come with me,' the old Healer told Harry and Minerva. 'I'm Dyann Fille. I've been working here for ninety years, and before that, I worked a few years in hospitals in Cairo, Constantinople and Athens.'

'_Constantinople_?' Harry gasped.

'I _was_ there when the Muggles changed the name, but it hasn't changed in the Wizarding community, Mr Potter,' Dyann explained with a merry chuckle, as she started trotting away.

'I didn't know,' Harry mumbled.

'You'll have time to catch up now that you won't have to fight for your life,' Dyann said.

'I'll never be a certified wizard,' Harry pointed out sadly.

'My dear, there's much more than diplomas in real life. Civil servants and politicians might think that NEWTs are necessary, but I'm convinced that you've learnt what you need to know to be a good wizard. You've got decades to read books about little details like Constantinople,' Dyann said.

Harry beamed. He knew that he had enough money to afford to stay home, but now that the war was over, and he was still alive, he wanted to have a normal life and find a job. He knew that he'd never be an Auror, but he hoped to find some nice job, and Dyann was giving him hope.

'The nurses are casting a few spells on your friends right now. Before I read their results, I'd like you to tell me what happened,' Dyann said.

Harry explained how Severus had been killed by Nagini. Minerva took over and said that Albus had been afraid for Hermione, and they'd found her with Severus – a resurrected Severus.

Dyann was humming quietly.

They reached her surgery in the hospital, and she invited Harry and Minerva to sit down on a bed that was close to the ones where Severus and Hermione had been deposited.

'We could wait in your anteroom,' Minerva suggested.

'Certainly not! I'll heal you both, as well. You're in a dreadful state,' Dyann said.

Before Harry or Minerva could protest, they each had a nurse casting spells on them.

Dyann started reading the parchments describing Severus and Hermione's conditions. She kept nodding and humming.

At one point, she used a spell to make Severus's bed bigger, and she made Hermione float next to him.

'Did the magic link them in some way?' Harry inquired.

'The last bit of magic that those two did was a Bonding spell. They're married,' Dyann explained.

'Do they need to be close?' Minerva asked.

'It might help, and it won't hurt,' Dyann said.

'Married?!' Harry exclaimed.

'Harry, I hope you won't react like Weasley now!' Minerva said.

'No, Ma'a… No, Minerva, it's just that it's another thing I didn't know,' Harry said with a small voice.

'Harry, deep in your heart, you know the power of love,' Minerva said.

Harry blushed, and Minerva realized that he must have a certain red-head in mind; she found it nice that Harry was in love.

'Harry, you may be an orphan, but your parents loved you so much that they died to protect you. Their sacrifice is a part of who you are,' Minerva explained.

Harry blushed even more when he realized that his mind had taken the wrong lane, but he nodded.

'I'm sure you can understand Hermione,' Minerva went on.

Harry kept nodding. 'It's a bit strange. All the more, since Snape gave me memories from his past. Before we found them, I was convinced that he still loved my mum,' he said.

'Hermione can be so much like Lily,' Minerva whispered.

Harry looked at his best friend, still asleep next to the man for whom she'd been ready to die. He tried to remember if Hermione had ever hinted that she liked _Snape_ that way. He tried to understand why those two had decided to get married.

After a moment, Harry said, 'Hermione's much more than my mum for him.'

'What do you mean?' Minerva inquired.

'She's alive, and she loves him,' Harry explained.

Minerva needed a moment to think about what Harry had just said.

'And yet, he protected you… Lily's son,' Minerva added.

Harry chuckled.

'Harry?' Minerva said.

'Up until last year, he did, but now… I'm sure he just made sure that Hermione would be safe. He's quite a complicated bloke,' Harry said.

Minerva started blinking; she recognized that Harry was probably right.

'Can you help them?' Harry asked Dyann.

The old Healer turned towards him and smiled widely. 'I can improve their condition right now. They need Energy potions that will help them both recover from the spell Mrs Snape used to bring her husband back to life. We'll need to wait a few days until I can cast the spells that will assess if the loss of magic is permanent,' she answered.

'Then it might not be permanent?!' Harry exclaimed.

'Either they've both used up all of their magic, and there's nothing that we can do, or they merely need to re-charge their batteries. We need to wait,' Dyann said.

'Thank you!' Harry said. Minerva opened her mouth in order to point out that their friends might never recover. Harry spoke first and said, 'I know it might not come back, but there's a bit of hope.'

Minerva smiled and nodded.

Dyann summoned a piece of parchment and cast a spell on it to write her prescriptions for Severus and Hermione. She gave it to one of the nurses.

'Start with the potions,' Dyann ordered.

The nurse nodded.

Dyann turned to her other two patients and read the results of their Diagnosis spells.

'It's a good thing Dumbledore is no longer with us,' the Healer murmured.

'How dare you?!' Minerva growled.

Pointing a finger towards Harry, a completely unfazed Dyann said, 'Do you know what his Muggle relatives did to him? He would have been better off left on the streets. With a few potions, he'll recover fully.'

'Recover?' Harry intervened.

'The poor diet you had as you grew up was terrible for you,' Dyann explained. She was smiling when she added, 'With my potions, you'll certainly end up growing another inch.'

'Really?' Harry asked, his eyes twinkling à la Dumbledore.

Dyann chuckled and said, 'At least; besides, we must counter what happened to you tonight.'

Harry looked at the floor.

'Harry?' Minerva said.

Harry shrugged.

'Little one, it's not my place to divulge what Tom did to you, but you should share it with your friends,' Dyann said.

'What did Riddle do to you?' Minerva inquired gently.

Harry shrugged again and said, 'I think I died for a moment when the Horcrux in me was destroyed.'

Minerva moved closer to Harry and held him.

'You _think_… Little one, you'll have to learn to state things as they are. You did die for a brief moment,' Dyann declared calmly.

Minerva held Harry tighter, and he wrapped his arms around her.

'Harry, if you spend the night here, you'll wake up as good as new tomorrow… Sometime tomorrow,' Dyann said.

Harry looked at Minerva, and she nodded to encourage him.

'I'll do that, then,' Harry said.

'Good, and when you wake up, we can try to assess if you're still a Parselmouth,' Dyann suggested.

Harry paled. 'Is there still a part of him inside me?' he asked.

'Don't worry. If you still have that ability, it'll mean that your duel with Tom makes you the heir of Slytherin,' Dyann explained.

'Is that possible?' Harry asked both witches.

'Magical duels can have odd consequences,' Minerva declared.

'If you want, I'll introduce you to my snake when you wake up,' Dyann said.

Harry nodded and said, 'If he's gone from my head, I must admit that being able to chat with snakes is way cool.'

Minerva was quite tired, and she kissed his brow. When he beamed at her, she knew that she'd done the right thing.

'I should have kept you,' she whispered sadly.

'Well, you can keep him now, and I'll have one of my nurses put you in the same room,' Dyann declared.

'But I must go back to Hogwarts!' she protested.

'Not tonight, young lady! You've been neglecting yourself for too long. If you want to take care of Harry now, you need my help,' Dyann growled.

Harry, looking at Minerva with puppy eyes, made her cave.

'All right. Let's go! I'll be working all night on you two,' Dyann said.

Harry asked the nurses to take good care of his friends, and he followed Dyann, still holding Minerva.

A few people who had been injured during the Hogwarts battle were transported to the hospital, and there was a call for nurses to come and help.

'Go,' one of the two nurses told her colleague.

'Are you sure?' she asked.

'Those two just need a few potions. I'm sure I can do it alone,' she answered genially.

Her colleague winked and rushed to Casualty to help.

The remaining nurse locked the door with a spell and Fire-called someone outside.

.

.

When Harry woke up the next day, well past noon, he smiled when he saw that Minerva was sleeping in the bed next to his. He grinned and started laughing when he realized that Dyann must have done something to heal his eyes, too.

Minerva woke up. She felt better than she had in years and smiled at her little protégé.

A nurse came to see them.

'I see you look much better,' the nurse said, as she cast a spell to check their health.

'Yes, thank you!' Minerva said jovially.

'How are Hermione and… Severus?' Harry inquired.

'You'll have to ask Healer Fille,' the nurse said neutrally, paling a bit.

Harry felt that there was something very wrong.

'What happened to our friends?' Harry demanded.

The nurse paled even more.

'Answer!' Minerva barked as she got up.

'We don't know,' the nurse declared.

'What do you mean, you don't know?!' Harry hissed.

'They've disappeared,' the nurse admitted.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	4. Chapter 4

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'What do you mean they've disappeared?' Harry and Minerva asked at the same time.

They looked at each other and briefly beamed. As one, they turned towards the nurse, who had enough self-preservation to gulp.

'Tell us what happened,' they both said.

The nurse sighed and said, 'When Healer Fille left you last night, she went back to your friends' room. They were gone, and Nurse Dekoo had been attacked.'

Minerva turned to Harry and said, 'We need to discover what happened to them.'

Harry nodded. 'Where's our Healer?' he asked the nurse.

'She's in her lab…' the nurse began to say.

'Spill the beans, Miss. I'm not in the mood for secrets,' Harry growled.

'She's brewing a cauldron of Veritaserum potion,' the nurse said. She paused, took a deep breath and decided that it was better to do as the wizard who'd killed Voldemort said and added, 'She thinks there was something strange about the attack.'

With a spell, Minerva got herself and Harry dressed.

'Take us to her,' Minerva said.

The nurse nodded.

Right then, there was a Weasley invasion in the room. Molly, Arthur, Ron and Ginny walked in.

'Harry, my dear!' Molly exclaimed joyfully. 'We've been looking for you! You should have told us that you were going to the hospital.'

'I'm sorry, Mrs Weasley, but we had to take care of Hermione and Severus, and now we'll have to leave you because there's a problem with them,' Harry said.

'She was really ready to die for him,' Ginevra said.

There was something cold in her voice that made Harry flinch. Minerva understood immediately that Ginevra was on her older brother's side.

'Ginny?' Harry said, paling.

'Snape was a Death Eater. He killed Albus Dumbledore. He was better dead, and if Granger did some magic to bring Snape back, I hope they both collapse and die from it,' Ginevra spat.

If the witch he loved had physically punched him, it would have hurt Harry less. Minerva wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and provided him with some warmth and comfort.

'Don't be so harsh, Ginny,' Arthur intervened.

'Granger's always been stupid,' Ron declared.

'Stupid?!' Harry shouted. 'Brilliant, Ron. She's ten times more intelligent than you, and I think you _know_ it, which must be what bugs you. Besides, _she_ didn't flee when thing got too tough. I bet you wanted her to wait for you till the end of time, but she found herself someone better!'

Ron turned red in the face and stormed out of the room.

'How dare you?!' Ginevra growled.

'Locate your brain, sweetie, and think for yourself. We would all have been killed by Voldemort last night if it were not for our cunning Hermione, who helped prepare me for the last battle, and who saved my hide several times while we were on the run. As to Severus, I would have died years ago without him, and it was Albus who ordered him to cast the spell that ended his life. You can ask his bloody portrait if you don't believe me… again,' Harry said angrily.

'Harry!' Molly exclaimed.

'What?!' he shouted back.

'Ron is your best friend,' Molly said.

'Don't force him to choose between Ron and Hermione. You might not like the answer,' Minerva said. She hugged Harry and said, 'We should go.'

'Where are you going?' Arthur asked gently and softly before his wife and daughter could bark anything else unpleasant.

'Hermione and Severus have lost their magic, and they've disappeared under strange circumstances,' Harry answered.

'Would you like some help?' Arthur asked.

Molly and Ginevra glared at him.

'If you can find someone ready to help, do so,' Minerva said.

Arthur nodded, and Minerva piloted Harry outside. The trip to Dyann's lab was odd; the nurse was trying to be as discreet as possible, while Minerva tried to help Harry feel better.

'Why is Ginny so harsh?' Harry asked Minerva.

The young man looked so incredibly sad that it broke Minerva's heart, again.

'There are many possibilities, Harry,' she pointed out. 'Perhaps she's too exhausted after being afraid for months, and tension is making her say things she doesn't mean, or perhaps she's been listening to Ronald's rants,' she said.

Harry hummed.

'Harry?' Minerva murmured.

He shrugged and added, 'And perhaps there's something that runs in the family and Percy and Ron aren't the only two weird ones, and I've been so blind when it comes to Ginny that I hadn't noticed that she can be bigoted.'

Minerva flinched.

'You know I'm right,' he said.

Minerva sighed deeply.

'Minerva?' Harry said.

She sighed again and said, 'You may be right.'

Harry shivered, as if, deep down, his magic knew that the girl he loved was not who he thought she was. If Ginevra wasn't ready to accept that Hermione was so much in love with Severus that she'd been ready to die in order to save him, and if she was stupidly prejudiced against the man who'd saved him time and time again (now that his true allegiance was clear), then Harry just knew that he wouldn't be able to stand by Ginevra.

He was saved from his gloomy thoughts by their arrival at Dyann's lab.

The Healer welcomed them warmly, but it was obvious that she was tense.

The nurse left as fast as she possibly could.

'Great healing, Dyann; thank you. Now, could you tell us why our friends are missing?' Harry said as greetings.

Dyann chuckled in spite of the situation. 'You're welcome,' she said. 'Dekoo was petrified on a bed when I arrived, and she'd been Memory-charmed,' she explained.

'What do you think happened?' Minerva asked.

'And why do you think there's something weird about the attack?' Harry inquired.

'I can't exactly pinpoint what's bothering me, and Dekoo isn't one of my nurses, so I don't know her that well, but there is something off,' Dyann said.

'If her memory was wiped clean, why are you brewing some Veritaserum?' Harry asked.

'I was able to assess that she's lost only a few minutes. I hope to be able to access her memories just before the attack. If she's fully innocent, maybe she can provide us with clues to discover what happened,' Dyann said.

'How long before it's ready?' Harry asked.

'Three more hours,' Dyann said.

'Too damn long. If you take me to her, I'll read her thoughts,' Harry said.

'Do you think you can control Legilimency now?' Minerva asked him.

Harry nodded. 'It's all clear now,' he explained.

Dyann's smile was feral. 'Good. If she lied to me, I'll have her sent to jail,' she growled.

She waved her two patients to follow her to the room where Nurse Dekoo was recovering from the _attack_.

'You sound angry,' Minerva told the other witch.

'The Snapes are my responsibility. They disappeared under my care, and the cherry on the icing on the cake is that I cannot stand stupid people. If Dekoo is a victim, I'll take good care of her, but if she lied, I'll have her hide,' Dyann said.

'I promise to leave you a bit of her to play with if she did anything to my friends,' Harry said.

Dyann chuckled warmly.

Gently, Minerva said, 'So, you consider Severus a friend now.'

'He would probably hex me into next year if I told him so right now, but if Hermione loves him, then he's automatically in the frame,' Harry said.

There were tears in Minerva's eyes when she declared, 'He'd hex you nowhere. He can't now.'

This time, it was Harry who held Minerva.

'C'mon! We're talking about Hermione and Severus. Very soon, their magic is going to come back to them,' Harry declared with confidence.

Minerva gave him a grateful smile. Dyann didn't miss one bit of the exchange.

As they approached Dekoo's room, Arthur came down the corridor from the other side. Kingsley Shacklebolt was with him.

Kingsley greeted Dyann, Minerva and Harry and got additional details about the events of the prior evening and night from the three of them.

Arthur took a moment to tell Harry how sorry he was that his wife and two youngest kids had reacted so strangely. Harry was still too stunned, and he merely shrugged.

Arthur and Kingsley didn't seem shocked when Dyann told them about the Bonding spell. Kingsley even sent a charm to the Ministry to have it officially registered; he also sent a spell to signal two missing Wizarding persons. Harry was a bit surprised, but he quickly reflected that until Dyann could cast the spells to assess if Hermione and Severus had lost their magic for good, or not, they were still a witch and a wizard.

Kingsley took in Harry's reactions and seemed quite pleased.

Kingsley, as an Auror from the Ministry of Magic, went to see Dekoo. For the moment, she was a witness.

Dekoo was so aggressive and uncaring and unconcerned that they all found it too strange to be good.

'Look! I don't know the girl, but Snape was a minion of the Dark Lord. Whatever happened to them, they certainly deserved it,' Dekoo growled.

'I see you became a nurse to help people,' Harry said icily.

Dekoo glared at him defiantly.

Harry smirked, pointed his wand at her and said, '_Legilimens_!'

He was able to go back in her memories up to the point where she saw Severus being Apparated into the hospital and… decided to get revenge from him.

'Missy had great ambitions, but she wasn't good enough to get into Advanced Potions. She thinks her career as a Healer was killed by Severus, and she contacted a wizard who also has a grudge against him. That man Floo'ed in to kidnap Severus, but Hermione had to go with him since she saved him; they tried to cover it up with a Memory-charm, but he's not as good as Lockhart at that game,' Harry explained coldly.

'Excellent spell, Harry,' Kingsley praised the young wizard.

Harry shrugged. 'That doesn't tell me how to find the wizard our nurse from hell called,' he said.

'Can you do it? Can you locate that man?' Minerva asked.

Kingsley sighed. 'I would need an order from the Minister, but the position is vacant. We'll have to wait for the next polls,' he said.

'Absolutely not!' Dyann said.

They all turned to her.

'War situation, Law of 1745. In case the post of Minister is vacant, a citizen of voting age can name a temporary minister; if the spell is not challenged within the minute, the nominee is Minister until the next elections,' Dyann said. She aimed her wand at Kingsley and nominated him.

They all held their breaths, but the spell went unchallenged.

'So, Minister Kingsley,' Harry said with a grin, 'can you help me find the wizard who kidnapped my friends?'

'I'll have to contact an Auror I trust and send him after the man,' Kingsley said.

'If you tell me how, I could do it,' Harry said.

'No,' Kingsley answered.

His voice was too strange for Harry's taste.

'Why?' Minerva inquired.

'Now that the war is over, Harry will have to go back to his Muggle relatives until he comes of age, according to Muggle laws,' Arthur explained, deeply embarrassed.

'No way in hell!' Harry spat.

'Over my dead body!' Minerva growled.

Dyann cast a spell on Minerva and Harry and said, 'I can testify that McGonagall is taking in Harry James Potter.'

'Eh?' Harry squeaked.

'She's your legal guardian, and she's the only one who can limit your actions… though I think she'll probably help you look for your friends,' Dyann explained.

Minerva looked at Harry. 'I know I'm not your mother, but…' she began to say.

Harry hugged her so hard that she couldn't say another word.

'Excellent!' Dyann said. She was quite proud of herself.

When Harry let Minerva breathe a bit, she told Kingsley, 'He can do whatever he wants now.'

Kingsley looked at Harry for a few seconds that seemed very long, and he said, 'Harry, are you ready to endanger yourself again?'

'Yes.'

Kingsley beamed at the strong and clear answer. 'Mr Potter, I hereby name you Auror trainee and give you the authority to look for the Snapes.'

When Kingsley said "Auror trainee", Harry spluttered. Minerva kissed his brow.

Harry's dream had come true.

'How do I proceed now?' Harry asked his brand new boss.

Kingsley was about to start giving Harry a lesson, but Arthur stopped him. 'Go back to the Ministry and tell the others you're the boss. I'll help Harry,' he said.

Minerva took Harry's hand in hers, and she used a charm to tell him how to find his new home, in her Scottish cottage.

'Minerva, I name you Hogwarts Headmistress. Go save our school,' Kingsley declared.

She growled at that a bit, but Harry's smile calmed her down. She hugged him once more and Disapparated to the gates.

The three wizards were about to go, as well, but Dyann stopped them and said, 'Take Dekoo with you, or I'll use her for target practice.'

Within five minutes, Dekoo was in a cell in the Ministry, and Minister Shacklebolt was beginning his new job while Harry started discovering what he could do to help find the Snapes.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	5. Chapter 5

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

There was a manual that Auror trainees could use, but Harry didn't have time to read it quietly. Arthur gave him a crash course in dos and don'ts.

'I have one last recommendation before you go look for them,' Arthur said.

Harry looked at the older wizard.

Arthur smiled and said, 'If you want to make sure that you're not going to end up being in trouble with our new Minister for Magic, try to think as Mrs Snape would.'

Harry grinned at that and said, 'Good idea, but I'm not sure I'm that good.'

'I wish I could stay with you, but there's going to be a lot to do now that the Dark Lord and his followers are no longer a threat,' Arthur said.

Harry nodded. He sighed and added, 'And you don't need to have half your family yelling at you for helping me find my friends.'

Arthur looked particularly sad, but he didn't even try to deny the fact.

Harry gave him a tiny smile and started walking towards the door. He turned towards Arthur and inquired, 'Can I Floo into Hogwarts from here?'

'Of course. You're working for the Ministry, and when our new Minister nominated you, that added something to your magical signature,' Arthur answered. He smiled and asked, 'Do you want to go see your new guardian?'

Harry grinned and said, 'I might stop to give her a hug, but there's something I want to retrieve.'

Arthur nodded. 'Good luck, Harry!' he said.

'Thanks!' the younger wizard said as he jogged out.

Harry Floo'ed to Hogwarts from the atrium of the Ministry. He arrived in the fireplace of Minerva's brand new office.

She was at her desk, working feverishly. She looked up and exclaimed, 'Harry!'

He beamed at her and said, 'I'm just hopping by.'

Harry walked to her. He decided to be bold, and he pecked her cheek.

'Harry?' she said.

'Thanks for rescuing me. I can look for Hermione and Severus, and I can become an Auror. Without you, I would be on the run again, and all alone this time,' he said.

'I wish I'd done much more long ago,' she admitted.

'You've always been fantabulous!' he exclaimed.

Minerva blushed and waved her hand in dismissal.

'But if you feel bad, you can teach me to become an Animagus once I've located our two missing friends,' Harry said.

She blinked once, and then she laughed heartily.

'Brat,' she said with love.

He winked and gave her another kiss on the cheek.

'Is there something I can do to help you?' she asked with a bright smile.

'Nah, thanks, I'll just go by the dorm. I'd like to try to locate Hermione with the help of something that belongs to her. If she still has some magic in her, I hope one of my spells can find her,' he said.

'You can ask a house-elf to go get what you want,' Minerva said.

'Trying to keep me here a bit longer?' Harry said with a joyful chuckle.

'Yes, because I have a few pieces of information to share with you, and because the stairs are a bit mad just now. Flitwick's attempting to tame them,' she explained.

Minerva snapped her fingers, and a house-elf appeared instantly.

'Headmistress?' he said as he bowed deeply.

'Place your order, Harry,' Minerva said.

'I'd like you to bring me a magical object called the Marauder's Map and the lady's bag I left on my bed last night,' Harry said.

The elf bowed and melted into thin air as he said, 'Yes, Auror Potter.'

Harry swirled to Minerva and squeaked, 'I'm just a trainee. What did he mean?'

Minerva grinned and answered, 'He meant that if you don't kill anyone for fun, you're quite likely to complete your training and become an Auror.'

Harry was so happy that he just smiled and couldn't say a single word.

'Now, I'll have to stay here for a few days at least. The place is a mess, and I'd rather stick around to help my colleagues. I want you to rest a bit each day, even if you don't find the Snapes as fast as you'd like. You can go home, or you can come back here. I added your magical signature to the wards in my quarters, and there's a room for you there; the new password for the Head office is "Hermione" – not something you're likely to forget, and the kitchen password is "lemon sherbet". Even dead on your feet, you'll remember that. Everybody knows that you're my charge, and if anyone bothers you, I want you to tell me what happened,' Minerva explained.

Harry nodded fervently. 'Thank you, Minerva. I'll come back to stay with you, if you don't mind, and I hope to be able to find the Snapes later today,' he said.

Minerva nodded once; there was no point in telling him that the Snapes might have already been killed. Kingsley wouldn't have made Harry an Auror trainee if the young man wasn't capable of taking into account several possibilities.

If something bad had happened to the Snapes, Minerva would be there to help cheer Harry up, but she wouldn't break his heart until the two missing ones were found.

Besides, she wanted to hope that the young wizard who'd been working with Dekoo wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

The house-elf came back then.

'Here's the map, Auror Potter. The bag is no longer in Hogwarts,' the elf said as he gave Harry the piece of parchment.

Harry took in all the possibilities, and he came up with the most probable explanation.

He looked at his guardian and asked, 'Do your new super-powers allow you to get info from the wards?'

'Yes, and I think you can check the wards yourself. You and I are both working for the Ministry, _Sweetie_,' Minerva answered.

Harry grinned and said, 'All right, and how do I do that, Min?'

Minerva chuckled at that. 'Come here,' she said.

For a second, Harry thought that she might transform into her cat form to scratch him, but she merely took his hand, and through a spell cast from her fingertips, she taught him the spell that he wished to use.

'Cool! It'd be fun if you could teach this way in class,' Harry said.

Minerva looked sad when she explained, 'I could give you the spell that way because I was made your guardian.'

Harry paled, realizing how much he'd missed by being an orphan. 'Thanks,' he whispered.

'Sweetie, once you've found them, and after Dyann has tested them and we're sure they're going to be all right, I'll go see our boss, and then I'm taking you to the other side of the world for a whole week,' she said.

Harry opened his mouth to protest and say she didn't have to do such a thing for him, but she put her index finger on his lips to prevent him from saying anything. He smiled and winked.

'Good boy,' she said warmly.

Harry took his wand from his sleeve and got ready to cast the spell. 'Here we go,' he said as he accessed the memory of the school wards.

Minerva was fascinated with Harry's concentration; he truly was an extraordinary wizard.

The instant he found what he'd been looking for, he put an end to the spell and hissed.

'Verdict?' Minerva inquired.

'Ron took Hermione's bag. I'll have to go see him and have a little chat with his _highness_,' Harry said.

Minerva knew that the odds were that Ron had stolen the witch's bag to destroy her possessions, and now, Harry had the law on his side, and he could arrest his (apparently now_ former_) best male friend.

Harry saw on her face that she'd come to the same conclusion as he.

He gave her a sad smile and said, 'Don't worry; my priority is to find the Snapes. I'll deal with Ron later. I'll go see him now.'

'Do you know where they're staying?' she asked.

Harry nodded. 'Mr Weasley told me,' he said. 'I'll borrow your fireplace.'

'Be my guest, Sweetie,' she answered.

He already had a pinch of Floo powder between his fingers when he turned to face her. 'Say, you don't mind if I call you "Min", do you?' he asked.

She shook her head and said, 'Not at all, and I hope you don't mind my turning into a mother-hen.'

Harry shook his head fervently.

'Good, because I might end up spoiling you a bit for the next weeks or months,' she admitted.

'Great! And then I can spoil you back,' Harry declared as he used the powder and was transported to the house where the Weasleys were staying these days.

'Brat,' Minerva said fondly.

'He's yours now,' the portrait of Albus told her.

'He's a good kid, and I'll help him become the very best wizard of his generation,' she answered, as she started working again.

'I shouldn't have left him with Petunia,' Albus said softly.

'Frog crap, Albus. You did what you had to in order for Harry to become the wizard he is today. We all know that he wouldn't be the man he is without the years he's spent under the stairs, and running from Tom and his minions. Don't even try to pretend that you regret it,' she hissed. 'Now, if you want to do something useful, go find out what Severus and Hermione did. Find as much information as you can about those two, and now, let me work to save our school,' she said.

Albus was blinking when he left his frame to go investigate.

.

.

There was no one in the house when Harry arrived. Through the window, he could smell smoke and fire in the garden.

Wand at the ready, he went out. The acrid smoke alone couldn't explain Harry's tears when he saw Molly, Ron and Ginny gathered around a bonfire where Hermione's handbag was burning.

Harry wanted to try to stop the fire and attempt to salvage something… Anything. Before he could utter the first syllable of a spell, he found himself engulfed in a hug; it was George.

'I'm so happy to see you, Potter. Come with me,' he said.

Harry tried to protest, but George glared at him and dragged him inside.

They ended up in the small room that George had occupied with his late twin. George pushed Harry onto one of the beds, and he saw Harry flinch.

'Don't worry, Harry; this is mine, not Fred's. I'm using Fred's,' George said as he sat on the other bed.

Harry blushed a bit; he felt bad for having flinched.

George waved his hand in dismissal and said, 'Everybody's walking on eggshells around me. If you do the same, I'll kick you somewhere painful… and I don't mean in the knee.'

Harry smiled and said, 'Okay, Gred.'

George beamed. 'Fine! Now, Potter, let's cast a few Secrecy spells!' he said.

Both cast one, thus ensuring that no one would eavesdrop on them.

Then, George took a small purse from his pocket. 'This is Hermione's bag. While Ginny was giving Ron stupid ideas about it, I replaced it with some junk… and Ginny's best robes,' he explained.

Harry was so moved that he couldn't say anything as he accepted the precious gift.

'I hope you find them. Snape is a great spy, and Hermione's a good witch,' George said.

'I want to find them,' Harry said. 'I want to try to locate Hermione and, thanks to you, I can try what I have in mind.'

'What will you do if she's lost her magic?' George inquired.

'I'll try to locate Severus, and if he's a Muggle, too… I'll go see the police. They might be able to track them down,' Harry said.

'Can I help you with anything?' George asked. He ended almost with a sob.

With that single sentence, Harry understood how badly his friend was faring.

'How do you feel?' Harry asked gently.

There were fat tears in George's eyes when he answered, 'I'm half-dead, Harry. Fred was teasing me about my ear, but now… I've lost a _half_ of me, and I don't know if I can go on.'

There was no need to tell George that he'd feel better in a few days or weeks. He might, but his twin was being prepared for burial, and it was half of George who'd be put six feet under.

Harry looked at his friend and weighed all the possibilities.

'If I let you come, you swear to obey me and not do anything that could end up endangering the Snapes,' Harry said.

George took his wand and swore on it.

The next minute, they were Apparating to Diagon Alley.

.

.

Esteu Lihar felt more than exhausted. Dekoo had called him and told him her plan, but he was a coward. The Memory-charm had tired him, and he'd had to Floo to his London home with _Snape_ and his stupid wife; once there, he didn't really know what to do with them. Dekoo had suggested that he throw them in a river, but that would be murder.

Lihar spelled a Portkey, and he sent the Snapes somewhere in the north.

When Severus, still holding Hermione, landed painfully on his back under a bridge, a homeless man, who was living there, thought that someone had pushed them from the bridge. He saw that they were alive, but pale as death. He told his dog to go near them to keep them warm, and he shared his bedcover with them.

At least, they wouldn't catch their deaths before Father McKenzie arrived with breakfast in a couple of hours.

Tommy and his dog, Max, protected the Snapes.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	6. Chapter 6

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Alexander McKenzie was a good minister, who believed in helping others. A few of his parishioners thought that he was too good a man, and a few others were on his mother's side and thought that he was just too soft and useless.

McKenzie knew most of the homeless people in his parish, and he always managed to find ways to help them.

That morning, as McKenzie walked to the bridge where Tommy and Max lived, the young man saw that Tommy and his dog weren't the only ones there.

Max sensed that they had a visitor, and he barked to wake up his human companion.

Tommy woke up instantly and got up to welcome the minister.

'Morning, Father,' Tommy said.

'Do you have company?' McKenzie asked.

'The deacon and his daughter were attacked and thrown from the bridge. I didn't want to leave them alone in the night, and I knew the coppers woulda done nothing,' Tommy said.

'Attacked?' McKenzie gasped.

Tommy nodded fervently.

McKenzie walked to the Snapes and saw that both were dreadfully pale.

'Help me try to find out who they are,' McKenzie told Tommy.

The two men quickly assessed that Hermione's purse had been stolen, and her pockets were empty.

Severus's coat was full of pockets, and like any spy worth his salt, Severus had spelled items that could be useful if he had to leave Riddle and his friends in a hurry. In one of these pockets, McKenzie found Severus's Muggle ID from the time his father had wanted him not to be a complete freak; that gave Severus's address on Spinner's End, and his key was in there, too.

'Strange,' McKenzie said softly.

'Father?' Tommy said.

'Mr Snape and his daughter live by the Irwell up north, but I don't remember meeting them anywhere in or around Salford,' McKenzie explained.

'Do you know everybody, Father?' Tommy inquired.

McKenzie chuckled and said, 'No, you're right, Tommy.'

Max licked Hermione's cheek, which made her groan.

McKenzie tried to wake her up. 'Miss Snape?' he said softly.

Hermione had almost died, but she hadn't come back from the other side, like Severus; she was frail, but she was faring slightly better than Severus.

'Wha'?' Hermione murmured.

'Would you like me to take you to the hospital?' McKenzie asked.

Hermione gathered all her strength; she wanted to help her lover. She looked around and asked, 'Purse?'

'I'm afraid your purse was stolen, Miss Snape,' McKenzie answered.

'The nurses and doctors would take care of you, Miss,' Tommy intervened.

Hermione realized that all her money was in her purse, and she didn't know if Severus had any Muggle money.

She shook her head and felt dizzy.

'I can drive you home, Miss, but I'll insist that you report the attack to the police,' McKenzie said.

'Home?' Hermione whispered.

McKenzie mistook her question for an answer. 'Can you help Miss Snape to my car? I'll carry her father,' he told Tommy.

Tommy nodded instantly, and he helped Hermione up as gently as possible. Hermione was too dizzy to really get what was going on. She relaxed only once in the back of the car, when the ecclesiastical Good Samaritan deposited Severus next to her. Severus briefly opened his eyes, and that was the most beautiful thing for Hermione. For all she cared, she could have awoken in North Korea, and she wouldn't have cared because Severus was alive again.

McKenzie told Tommy that he'd come back with more food in three days, as usual, and Tommy told him to help the Snapes first, because they needed it more.

Tommy put one hand on Hermione's shoulder and said, 'You take good care, Miss.'

'Hermione,' she said softly.

'That's a pretty name, Miss. You get better, right,' Tommy said.

McKenzie started the car and waved at Tommy, who waved back. On the road, he introduced himself to his young passenger.

'You like classical names in your family,' McKenzie said.

'Yes,' she answered as she laced her fingers with Severus's.

'Are you sure you don't want me to drive you to a GP or to the police station?' McKenzie asked.

'Not now,' she said.

Then, she pretended that she was falling asleep. She needed to think.

She felt that she was more than exhausted, and she knew that her magic was gone (and she didn't know if it was to be permanent or not). As long as she'd brought Severus back to life, she could have been turned into a fly, and she wouldn't have given a fig.

She didn't know how Severus was, besides the fact that he was alive. She wanted some quiet time to talk with him without the enthusiastic Muggle around.

She may be recovering from a nasty bout of High magic, but there was one thing that she realized – without her purse, she had no legal status and no ID for the Muggles, and she was still an un-emancipated minor. It might not be such a bad thing that McKenzie and Tommy thought that she was Severus's daughter, because it meant that no one would try to separate them… hopefully.

She was far from being happy about that, but it was the best for the time being.

McKenzie had never been to Spinner's End, and he had a hard time finding Severus's house, but he did.

'Can you go open your door?' McKenzie asked her. 'I'll carry your dad.'

Hermione tried to walk as fast as she could to the door. She didn't know what she'd find "home", and she couldn't have the curious McKenzie suspect that she'd never been in that house.

She felt her heart skip a beat when she recognized the place where Severus had recorded the message he'd left for her in his lab.

It looked dusty and old, but they now had a roof above their heads. She'd figure out what to do later – when she was alone with Severus.

McKenzie was almost right behind her.

'Where's his bedroom?' he asked.

'Chair first,' Hermione said as she pointed at the antique piece of furniture in the sitting room. 'I'll make him tea.'

McKenzie obeyed her. 'What can I do to help you?' he asked.

Hermione shook her head.

McKenzie smiled sadly. 'I'd like to be your friend, Miss,' he said.

'You helped us,' she said softly.

'Look, I don't know what happened to you, and I understand that you want to lick your wounds here, but I'm willing to help you. I'll give you my phone number, and you can call me anytime. I'll come and see you tonight to make sure that you two don't need a doctor or something,' he said.

'You don't have to,' she protested.

McKenzie took a few steps to her to give her his card, and he asked, blushing, 'What if I'd like to, Miss Snape?'

Hermione almost got an instant headache; she didn't need him to develop a crush on her (not when Severus could be hers at last). She looked at Severus, and McKenzie misinterpreted her look, thinking that she had to get her father to approve her dates.

'Of course, I understand,' McKenzie said with a wide smile. 'Take good care of him, and I'll be back later,' he added as he walked to the door.

As soon as the car was gone, Hermione locked the door and went to explore the house. She found Severus's room upstairs, and coaxing him to climb the stairs took her almost a half hour. He collapsed, still dressed, on his bed. She slithered next to him, and both fell asleep for hours again.

When Hermione woke up in the afternoon, she felt slightly better. Severus was still fast asleep. She went down, hoping that there was something edible in the kitchen; she knew that they needed to eat something if they wanted to get better.

.

.

George was quite impressed to see Harry work his magic on the hags and warlocks of Knockturn Alley.

Harry didn't know all the spells he wanted to use, but he knew that there were people who knew them in the less respectable part of the London Wizarding district. Harry didn't mind spending his own money to get what he needed to locate Hermione and Severus.

Finally, in a shabby second-hand book-store, Harry bought a book that described, among other things, a few intricate Location spells. Harry went to a tiny pub with George, and he cast the spells he knew, and then the new ones, in an attempt to locate his two missing friends.

When it didn't work, Harry sighed deeply.

'It might work later, Harry,' George declared.

'Yes, but that doesn't help me find them now,' Harry said.

George took his wand to re-heat his cup of tea, but before he cast the spell, he looked at Harry and asked, 'Where are their wands?'

'Min took them, and I think I remember seeing them on the table next to their bed at the hospital,' Harry answered. 'Do you think they might help?'

George nodded. He had to swallow the knot in his throat, and he said, 'I'm not a specialist of wand magic, but I know a wand can tell a lot about its owner.'

Harry nodded. There was something odd about George, and Harry turned his inner radar to his friend in front of him.

'You're borrowing more than just Forge's bed,' Harry stated.

George paled and asked, 'You're not going to tell, are you?'

'If his wand works for you, it's none of my business. I'd just like you to promise me that you'll buy a new one if the one you have stops working properly; okay?' Harry said.

George nodded fervently. He had tears in his eyes when he whispered, 'They're twin wands; it's unlikely that it'll play tricks on me. I explained to mine why I was leaving it with my twin. Silly, isn't it?'

'No,' Harry said with passion. 'I understand.'

George gave him a small smile.

'Let's go check if their wands are still at the hospital,' Harry said.

'And then we could go see Ollivander,' George suggested.

'I'm not sure where he is,' Harry pointed out.

'He's still staying with Auntie Muriel, but I've seen lights in his shop. Now that people know the war is over, shops are going to re-open,' George said.

'When you want to re-open yours, you can count on my help,' Harry declared.

'Harry…' George began to protest.

'Shut up, Gred! We're going to need all the fun we can get, and if you don't go back to work within a month, I'll hex you myself,' Harry said.

This time, Harry was the one with tears in his eyes.

One corner of George's mouth rose, and he said, 'Maybe the Snapes can come work with me.'

Harry laughed at that, and he dragged his friend out and towards the hospital.

The nurse at the front desk wasn't really helping Harry, even though she knew that he was an Auror trainee, and therefore he concluded that she must be on the side of Dekoo and the first Healer who'd refused to help Hermione and Severus last night.

Harry huffed and went to see Dyann. The Healer was still working in her lab; she was still brewing a new batch of Veritaserum.

'I'm back!' Harry said as he walked into the room.

Dyann swirled around, and when George saw her, he squeaked. She had a snake wrapped around her neck.

'Don't tell me that you're afraid of a little snake!' Dyann teased George.

'I'm afraid because I know that thing is just a baby, and it will grow up to be the size of a pipe-line,' George said.

//The red one is funny!// the snake said.

//Uhoh,// Harry said in Parselmouth.

//The green-eyed walking snack talks!// the snake exclaimed.

//I'm not a snack!// Harry protested.

The snake laughed heartily and said, //I _know_, but you should see your face!//

Harry growled and told Dyann, 'Your snake has a weird sense of humour.'

'He's my baby,' Dyann said fondly as she caressed the reptilian's head. 'And congratulations, Auror Potter. You're Slytherin's heir, too, now.'

'Jeez! Just what I needed,' Harry complained. He sighed and added, 'Though it's really cool to chat with snakes.'

'Wrong adjective,' George complained.

'Eh?' Harry said.

'It may be cool on your side, but from here it's slightly creepy, mate,' George pointed out honestly.

'It's challenging, young man, _not_ creepy,' Dyann pretended to protest.

George was forced to chuckle.

Dyann turned to Harry and asked, 'What can I do to help you, Harry?'

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	7. Chapter 7

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'I need to find my friends' wands,' Harry said.

'I can't leave my cauldron now, but you can go to my office. There's a magical register there, and you may consult it, since you're looking for missing Wizarding people,' Dyann said.

'Thank you,' Harry said.

'You're welcome, and remember that you need to rest,' Dyann said. She looked at George and said, 'You, too.'

George shrugged, which prompted Dyann to glare at him.

'I'll make sure he rests,' Harry promised.

'Good boy,' Dyann said. 'And now, shoo!'

Harry smiled at her and nodded. He and George were walking towards the door when the snake spoke again.

//Hey! Don't leave so fast!// the snake shouted.

//Is there something I can do for you?// Harry inquired kindly.

The snake blinked, surprised, but he said, //Can I go with you? I can smell liars.//

//That's very kind of you, but I know a kind of magic that allows me to detect them, as well,// Harry said.

//Oh,// the snake said.

//Why did you want to come?// Harry inquired.

The snake looked definitely embarrassed, which was odd.

//Tell me,// Harry insisted gently.

//Dyann's great, but she doesn't understand me. I can _chat_ with you,// the snake explained.

//Oh… Wait a minute,// Harry said. He reverted to English and asked Dyann, 'Is there a way to share my ability to speak Parseltongue?'

'I must admit that I don't know,' she answered.

'Your baby doesn't like not being able to chat with you,' Harry said, and he repeated his exchange with the reptile.

Dyann caressed the head of her snake and told him, 'I'm sorry. I never thought that you'd be lonely. Do you understand me when I speak English?'

The snake nodded.

Dyann sighed and said, 'I'll ask my secretary to research the topic; all right?'

The snake nodded again.

'I'm sorry, but I can't ask Harry to keep you with him. He's working,' Dyann apologized to her baby snake.

'If he promises to stay around my neck and to hide if I need to go see Muggles, he can stay with me,' Harry said.

The snake looked alternatively at his human carer and the young Auror who could communicate with him; even George could see that the snake looked hopeful.

'Would you do as Harry says?' Dyann asked her snake.

The snake nodded like a mad metronome.

Dyann handed Harry her snake, and she said, 'This is a very good idea because he'll force you to be home by dinner time. I'll Floo from here at seven sharp.'

'I'll be at Hogwarts, then,' Harry said.

'Perfect,' Dyann said. 'I forgot to introduce you. His name's Hadrian,' she added.

Harry promised to take good care of him, Dyann confirmed their appointment at Hogwarts in the evening, and the two wizards went to her office, where they told the secretary that her boss wanted to see her.

Since Hadrian understood English, Harry used that language, not to spook people around… and especially George.

Harry was reflecting, to no one in particular, that Hadrian was an odd name for a snake.

'It's because he'll be the size of the wall when he's an adult,' George said.

Hadrian confirmed that, which made Harry chuckle.

'Say, Harry, if she finds a way for you to share being a Parselmouth, will you share it with me, too?' George inquired.

'I thought you found the ability creepy,' Harry pointed out.

'It's creepy if I can't understand what you say, but I'd like to scare people with that gift,' George explained with a grin.

_That_ was the twisted George that Harry knew and loved. He laughed and nodded, which made George's grin widen.

In Dyann's register, Harry found out that the two wands had been stolen by Dekoo. Harry made a copy of that page, and with a spell that George taught him, he turned the leaf into the origami of a flying bird, and he sent it to the Ministry, to be added to the charges against the nurse.

There was an addition to the entry that puzzled Harry, it read "contact O's".

//Could be the wand-maker,//Hadrian said.

Harry agreed with the snake, and the three of them went to the wand shop.

Luna Lovegood was helping Ollivander clean the shop. George greeted her warmly, and the two chatted about odd things while Harry told the wand-maker what happened to the Snapes.

Ollivander smiled his weird smile and told Harry, 'Come with me, Auror Potter.'

Harry followed the other wizard down to the basement.

'You already know how complicated wands can be,' Ollivander said.

Harry nodded. Without noticing what he was doing, he caressed the handle of his repaired wooden spell-caster, and Ollivander focussed on the wand.

'How…?' Ollivander began to say.

'This is _my_ wand. I couldn't throw it away when it was damaged, and… I used the Elder wand to repair it,' Harry explained.

'Quite extraordinary,' Ollivander said. 'May I?' he inquired, reverently holding out his hands.

Harry smiled and allowed the wand-maker to inspect his work.

Ollivander smiled as he gave Harry his wand back and said, 'Great work, and I'm touched that you trust me.'

'What do you mean?' Harry asked.

'Aurors usually let no one take their wands,' Ollivander said.

Harry chuckled and said, 'I like my wand, but I don't need it to cast spells now.'

'Potter?' a very surprised Ollivander said.

'This is my first wand, and I didn't want to have another one. The ones I used until I could repair this one were just tools. They worked, but there was no emotional connection with them. I trained myself in secret in order to be able to perform magic without a wand. I think that even Hermione didn't notice,' Harry explicated.

'That's a big secret, Auror Potter,' Ollivander said. 'I'm going to trade it for an equally big secret. I can track all the wands I've made.'

'Then you can help me in my enquiry!' Harry exclaimed.

Ollivander nodded. 'It's going to take a few minutes. Go back to your friends,' he suggested.

Harry went back to the ground floor, as Ollivander started to cast a special charm. Once there, Luna hugged him.

'Luna?' Harry squeaked.

'Gred told me what happened,' she said as she let Harry go.

'Oh,' was all Harry could say.

'They should understand that Hermione's your best friend, and that you almost owe Professor Snape a Wizarding debt,' Luna said.

'I bet he thinks he had to protect me,' Harry declared, thinking that Severus had been in love with Lily for years, and that James had saved him from a transformed Remus. 'I do feel in debt to him because now I see everything he's done to help me since I arrived at Hogwarts.

Luna smiled.

'Hermione's a much brighter person than most of us,' George intervened.

Harry nodded and said, 'Severus is quite cunning. They make a good match.'

'I'm sorry Ron and Ginny were so stupid,' George said, as he wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder.

Harry sighed. 'They really went too far this time,' he whispered.

'We'll find the Snapes, and then we'll find you a new girlfriend,' George said with a grin.

'We'll find the Snapes, and I'll make sure that they're okay. Then Minerva wants to take me somewhere for a holiday, and I'll have to start proper Auror training. Hopefully, Kingsley can give me a supervisor or something by then,' Harry said.

'And we'll find you a new girlfriend,' George insisted.

Harry shook his head.

'Or a boyfriend,' Luna pointed out.

'I prefer gals, ta,' Harry declared.

'Cool! Maybe you could date Luna, then,' George said.

Harry blushed, and before Luna could utter a single word, Ollivander joined them.

'Both wands are at this address,' Ollivander said, as he gave Harry a piece of parchment.

Harry read it and said, 'Great! It's in town. We'll go investigate immediately. Thank you!'

Harry grabbed George by the sleeve, said goodbye and dragged him out.

Hadrian didn't help when he told Harry that the witch smelled nice and would make a faithful companion.

'What did he say?' George inquired.

'Just wondering where we're going,' Harry said.

//Liar,// Hadrian said with a chuckle.

'I think I understood that,' George teased Harry.

Harry glared and said, 'Come on, Gred, we've got to go see why Mr Lihar has Hermione and Severus's wands.'

Back in the shop, Ollivander was telling Luna that Harry was quite a charming wizard.

The young witch hummed quietly and started cleaning again.

Ollivander knew that there was no point in rushing anything. He spelled empty boxes where they belonged.

.

.

Hermione felt that she needed to eat something, or she might faint again.

Severus's kitchen almost made her cry; there was nothing in the cupboards and the larder was desperately empty.

She sat down at the table and started crying.

'My poor Severus, how am I going to help you?' she sobbed.

Severus's Emergency spell activated when she said "help", and preserves appeared everywhere. Suddenly, there was enough food for at least a month.

Still sobbing, Hermione nibbled on biscuits as she made tea. A few minutes later, she took a tray up to Severus, and she helped him eat something.

After a second cup of tea, Severus asked, 'How did we arrive here?'

She told him that the last thing she remembered before waking up under the bridge was her spell, and she explained what happened with Father McKenzie and Tommy and Max.

'Perhaps I did it,' he suggested.

'How's your magic?' she inquired.

He closed his eyes and rubbed the fingertips of his wand-hand together. 'Gone for the moment,' he said.

'I'm so sorry,' she said. Fat tears were threatening to roll down her cheeks.

Severus opened his eyes and smiled as he said, 'Only you.'

'Sev?'

'You found the only way to save me, and yet you apologize for a momentary loss of magic,' he explained.

'Then you're not angry?' she asked worriedly.

'If it were not for you, I would be a ghost now. You're a witch and I'm a wizard; my magic will come back eventually,' he said.

He was falling asleep when she said, 'I hope you're right.'

He heard the insecurity in her voice and fought against sleep. 'Dearest, you saved me. I'm exhausted and dizzy, but I know that I'd rather be here with you without magic than a Wizarding ghost at Hogwarts,' he said.

'Really?' she asked.

There were new tears in her eyes.

'I don't have enough energy to lie,' he said softly.

She chuckled at that.

'Besides, I may not remember Apparating us near this house, but there's one thing that I do remember,' he said.

'What?' she asked.

'We bonded,' he said.

'So that extra warmth in my heart isn't in my imagination?' she said.

He shook his head.

'Then… we can do anything since we're together,' she declared.

A gentle smile was gracing his lips as he surrendered to sleep, for good this time.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	8. Chapter 8

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Hermione felt a lot better. Her Severus seemed to be recovering, and he wasn't angry that the magic that she'd used had deprived him of his magical power.

She wanted to believe that he was right, and that their magic would come back soon. It was logical and plausible.

Hermione was ecstatic to be bonded with Severus. After the single night they'd had together months ago, she'd imagined that she'd have to work really hard to convince him that she could be a good companion for him. She'd thought that Severus would agree to make her his mistress, but she'd never dreamt that their magic would wish the same thing and make them bond so easily. Being Mrs Snape was a dream come true, and the young woman was walking on clouds.

Hermione had been living in harsh conditions during the end of the war, and once she and Severus were feeling better, they'd figure out what they could do together to live in good surroundings.

For the moment, they had a place to stay, and Severus's emergency spell would allow them to have three meals a day for some time.

In order to protect him as best as she could, Hermione knew that she had to explore the house and discover what was in it. She definitely had the odd feeling that the Muggle minister would be quite nosey.

She inventoried the spelled contents of the kitchen first, and then she looked at the books in the sitting room. There were mostly Wizarding books, and she knew that they could let no Muggle look at them closely, or they'd be in trouble.

The whole place was rather dusty, and she missed not being able to use spells to clean the house. She could do things the Muggle way, but magic saved a lot of time and energy.

Hermione explored the rest of the house; she decided that the room where Peter had stayed would be used as a fake room for her if people tried to investigate and understand the exact nature of her relationship with her husband. She'd just met McKenzie, and for all she knew he could be the kind to call the police to tell them that Severus was abusing her; for the moment, she was in no shape to lie convincingly and get Muggles off her back.

Hermione realized how dire her situation was when she finally registered that all she had were the clothes on her back; she'd lost _everything_ else.

"I know I probably used High magic to make the potion work, but how could Severus Apparate us here from the shack? Something must have happened," she thought.

She was beginning to feel hungry again. She reflected that if she was hungry, Severus must be, as well.

She was heading to the kitchen when she heard a car approaching (a first in hours).

She walked to the window and saw that it was McKenzie who was coming back; she hissed a string of swearwords.

She prayed to all the deities that she could get rid of him swiftly.

A few seconds later, McKenzie knocked on the door. Sighing, she went to answer it.

'Good evening, Miss Snape!' he said joyfully.

'Good evening, Father,' she said neutrally.

'You can use my name,' McKenzie said.

Hermione saw the hopeful look and the slight blush, which confirmed that the man of the cloth had developed a crush on her.

She groaned inwardly and said, 'It wouldn't be proper.'

McKenzie nodded; he thought that "Mr Snape" had to be an old-fashioned father, and that Hermione wouldn't be allowed to be friendly with him until her father had given her his blessing.

'How's your father?' he asked.

'Resting, thank you. Severus is recovering,' she said.

McKenzie blinked when she used Severus's name, but it wasn't unheard of to have children using their parents' names. He just classified the piece of information as one more oddity.

'Will you need a doctor, or some medical assistance?' he asked.

'We're good. Thank you,' she said.

'Would you like me to drive you to the police station tomorrow?' he inquired.

'Thank you, but I don't remember what happened, and Severus is too tired to tell me if he remembers anything. I hope he'll feel much better in a few days; then I'll see what he wants to do,' she said.

'I understand, but are you sure you don't have a concussion? No one would be here to help you in the night if your father is still unwell,' he said.

'I'm just very exhausted, and I've lost a few memories, but that's all,' she said.

'I could lend you my mobile,' he suggested.

'I'm as tough as a nail; don't worry,' she said.

McKenzie smiled and said, 'A true gal of the north.'

'Sort of,' she said. "By marriage," she thought.

'Pardon me, Miss, but what about your mother?' McKenzie asked.

Hermione thought about her Muggle mother, Memory-charmed and living on the other side of the world, and she paled.

She wanted to say something, but found that there was a knot in her throat. She shook her head, and McKenzie thought that Severus's wife and Hermione's mother was dead.

'I'm so sorry,' he apologized.

Hermione shrugged and said, 'I should be used to it by now. I think I must be more tired than I thought.'

'If so, I'll leave you now. I'll come back tomorrow,' he said.

Hermione fought not to sigh, and she said, 'You really don't have to.'

'Tommy found you, but I feel that I must make sure that you'll be all right. It'd be different if your father were in better shape,' McKenzie declared.

'Well, if you must, don't come too early. Severus will need to sleep a lot,' she said.

McKenzie almost bowed, and Hermione started developing a sheer dislike for the man who'd driven them here.

He shook hands with her and was gone.

Hermione went back to the kitchen and cooked another meal. When it was almost done, she went upstairs to see her husband.

She smiled when she saw him, asleep and looking serene. She decided to be bold, and she sat next to him and pecked his cheek.

'Wake up, Severus,' she said gently.

He almost growled.

'Wake up! You're not going to get better if you only sleep and eat nothing!' she barked at him.

He groaned.

'Severus Stubborn Snape. Open your eyes!' she said with a tone of voice that was close to his own when he was in his classroom.

Severus chuckled and obeyed his wife.

'There must be something strange in this house; you sound like my mother,' he declared.

'Hey!' she protested.

He chuckled again and said, 'I'm sorry. It was too tempting to tease you.'

She pecked his lips.

Noticing that she looked moved, he whispered, 'Hermione?'

'You can tease me all you want. You're alive… When I saw Voldemort kill you, I thought that it was the end of everything,' she confessed.

'Hermione… I'm really sorry that I didn't see that he'd use his snake,' he said.

'I was so afraid,' she said softly.

'I'm here. You brought me back, and we're together,' he told her gently.

She gave him a small smile.

'I've got something ready downstairs. Do you want me to prepare a tray, or do you feel strong enough to go to the kitchen?' she asked.

'I'm still tired, but it'd be better if I moved a bit. Besides, a trip to the bathroom sounds like a good idea,' he said.

'Do you need some help?' she inquired.

'Going downstairs, yes, but I'll be fine in the bathroom,' he answered.

'If you change your mind,' she said, blushing.

'Thank you,' he said.

She helped him up, and they went downstairs.

Severus didn't need help in the bathroom, but he was very slow. Hermione served their meal in the kitchen.

'McKenzie came by. Until you tell him that he can't date me, your _daughter_, I'm afraid that he won't leave us alone,' she said.

'I'll have a little chat with him,' Severus said very quietly.

'Sev, my fake papers are probably still somewhere at Hogwarts,' she told him.

'We'll have to be careful around Muggles for the next three months, until you're of age for them. When our magic comes back, we can just disappear,' he said.

'Have you ever heard of cases where Wizarding people lost their magic as we did?' she inquired.

One corner of Severus's mouth rose, and he said, 'You performed High magic, and I was dead. Give it a day, or two.'

'It's just that I'm so afraid,' she admitted.

'Don't be,' he said.

She looked at him, nodded and beamed.

'I'll escort you back to bed, and I'll wash up,' she said.

'No, we're going to bed, and _we'll_ wash up tomorrow,' he declared.

'But…' she began to say.

'You're recovering, too,' he pointed out.

'All right,' she conceded.

They went back to their room, and she helped him get undressed.

'I miss my magic, but not having a spell to help me unbutton your clothes is hellish!' she complained.

His smile didn't help at all.

She mock-complained about blokes being weird.

'Where are your night clothes?' she inquired.

'First drawer,' he said, pointing at a piece of furniture. 'Take whatever you want for yourself.'

She took a long night-shirt for him, and she borrowed one of his old shirts for herself.

He'd already settled in bed when she noticed that he was observing her as she undressed in her turn.

'Severus?' she said softly.

'You're beautiful,' he said.

Blushing, she joined him under the bedcover. He opened up his arms, and she settled against him and put her head on his shoulder.

'Severus?'

'Yes?'

'I love you,' she said.

'I love you, too, Hermione,' he declared. 'I might not tell you so each and every day, but I hope to prove it.'

They kissed, slowly.

'I'm too tired right now, but there's a part of the _mechanism_ that still works, even now,' he declared with a saucy smile.

'Great!' she said with enthusiasm.

'Perhaps we'll feel strong enough tomorrow,' he said.

'That'll be nice… Whenever we're strong enough to really enjoy it,' she told him.

He gave her another kiss, and they settled for the night.

Harry had guided his and George's Apparition to the place of residence of Esteu Lihar, who, according to Ollivander, had Hermione and Severus's wands in his possession.

To say that Lihar was surprised to see people Apparate into his dining-room would be the understatement of the year.

'Mr Lihar, I presume,' Harry said.

'Y… Yes. Who are you?' Lihar inquired.

'Harry Potter,' he said.

'Auror Potter,' George added.

Lihar blinked and looked alternately at Harry and George. 'Auror… Harry… Potter,' he gasped.

'Yes, and I'd like to know why Miss Dekoo gave you Hermione and Severus Snape's wands,' Harry declared.

Lihar spluttered and fainted.

'What an idiot!' George said.

'Not so much,' Harry said with a smile.

'Eh?'

Harry winked at George, pointed his wand at Lihar and said, 'Legilimens!'

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	9. Chapter 9

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Lihar was magically tired and emotionally exhausted; it was very easy for Harry to see all his memories about what he'd done to help Dekoo. Harry knew that Hermione and Severus had been sent somewhere far from London.

Harry put an end to his spell, tied his prisoner with one of the spells that Mr Weasley had taught him, and he took Lihar's wand.

'George, do you think that Hermione's right?' Harry inquired.

'Care to be a lil' bit more cryptic, mate?' his friend said with a wide smile.

Harry chuckled and said, 'She told me once that if you think about something that could be done by magic, someone probably already invented it, and you just have to find it. Do you think she was right?'

'Yes, and if it doesn't exist, then you've got something worth creating. That's how we work…' George began to say.

He paled when he remembered that there was no more "we" because his twin was dead, and if he ever found anything remotely worth inventing, it'd be his creation alone.

George gulped and looked down.

'Need a hug?' Harry asked softly.

George shrugged.

'I could do with one,' Harry said.

The two young men hugged.

George sighed and said, 'Thanks, Harry.'

'You're welcome,' the new Auror said.

'That was nice, but I won't date you,' George said as a joke, adding a wink for good measure.

'Good, because I really prefer girls,' Harry said. He looked at George and remembered that he wouldn't reconcile with Ginny, his ex-girlfriend for good now, and his sadness showed on his face.

'I'm sorry, Harry. You're trying to cheer me up, and I remind you that my little sister is a spoiled brat, who misplaced her heart,' George apologized.

Harry shrugged and said, 'I'm trying to convince myself that it was meant to happen that way. I left her because I wanted to protect her and not make her a target. Yesterday… Merlin? Was it just yesterday?' Harry looked so surprised that George squeezed his friend's shoulder. 'Yesterday, I'd hoped we could start something new, but if she's on Ron's side and doesn't want to help find the Snapes, then… I was _quite_ mistaken about her.'

'Don't punch or hex me, but you're better off without her, and… the Lovegood gal would be much nicer for you,' George declared.

'Luna? Have you been drinking or smoking something, Gred?' Harry asked.

'Harry, she's cute, and I think she's the only witch of our generation who sees "just Harry" in you, not some wealthy war-hero,' George pointed out.

Harry was speechless for a few seconds. He blushed and then said, 'There are Muggle girls.'

Harry remembered a cute girl he'd noticed when Dumbledore was still alive, and his blush deepened.

George smiled and winked.

Harry chuckled.

'All right, back to your idea,' George said.

'I know that there's something to assess what the last spell cast by a wand is, but there should be a way to find out what the last few spells were. Such a spell would allow me to recreate the Portkey that Lihar made,' Harry said.

'We should go back to see Ollivander, and if he has no answer, you can always go to Hogwarts. I bet Professor Flitwick would be willing to help, and there's the whole Library at your disposal,' George said.

Harry nodded. 'We'll just drop Lihar in a cell next to Dekoo's,' he declared.

They Disapparated to the Ministry, had Lihar booked and left again before the guilty wizard even began to stir a bit. They were back to the wands shop in a couple of minutes.

Ollivander told Harry that he didn't know any spell that could catalogue what had been cast with a wand, except the very last spell used by the owner. Harry thanked the old wand-maker.

'May we use your fireplace to Floo to Hogwarts?' Harry asked.

'Of course!' Ollivander answered jovially.

'Perhaps Luna could come help us. I bet she knows the Library better than we do,' George pointed out.

Harry turned towards his friend, ready to glare at him for suggesting that they go with Luna, but Harry saw that George was serious, and not trying to play matchmaker.

'She could help you with research until you get your Mrs Snape back,' Ollivander declared.

Harry smiled and turned to Luna to ask her, 'Would you like to help me?'

'I'd be delighted, Harry,' she answered with her melodious voice.

Once the three were en route to the Headmistress's office, Ollivander allowed himself to grin. Harry was a good kid turning into a good man, and he had very good friends.

.

.

Minerva looked up from the stack of bumph in front of her when she heard the Floo Network activate.

'Harry?' she said.

'We found the wizard who helped the nurse, and he sent Hermione and Severus somewhere up north with a Portkey. I need Professor Flitwick's help; may I go see him?' he asked.

'Of course!' Minerva exclaimed. 'He's still taming the stairs.'

'I'll go to the Library to gather the books you might need,' Luna declared. She grabbed George's hand and added, 'You're with me.'

'I'd rather stay with Harry!' George protested.

'You're taller than I; I'll need your help,' she said, never letting go of his hand and dragging him mercilessly.

Harry chuckled and followed his friends outside.

Minerva snapped her fingers, and a house-elf answered.

'Headmistress?' she said.

'Would you please keep an eye on Harry and help him if need be?' Minerva said.

The elf bowed and trotted after Harry; by the time she reached the door, she'd made herself invisible again.

Minerva resumed her work. There was something bothering her, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

.

.

Harry found Professor Flitwick in a strange fight with the stairs. Harry told the teacher what he wanted to do, and the Charms instructor was absolutely thrilled with Harry's idea.

'There's nothing that exists for the moment, but I think it was because no Auror until you really had the need for such a spell,' he explained.

Harry sighed and asked, 'Professor, do you think that it's possible to invent a spell for that, and more important, do you think that I could do it?'

'First, call me Filius. You're Minerva's charge, I'm no longer your teacher, and you don't want to make me feel older than I actually am,' Filius said.

Harry grinned and said, 'All right, _Filius_.'

'Thanks, Auror Potter,' the wizard said with a grin as wide as Harry's. 'I think that there are possibilities, and I do believe that you're an extremely talented young wizard. I need a few more minutes to win my fight against the stairs. If you go to the Library, I'll join you momentarily. I can show you a few books that might help you.'

'Thanks! I'll see you there, then,' Harry said.

The young man walked away, leaving the professor to fight with the magical stairs.

Harry met a few people in the corridor, and they all welcomed him warmly. They also congratulated him on his near-adoption and on getting his dream job.

Harry was grinning when he reached the Library.

When he opened the door, he started blinking. Luna and George were working like bees with the help of a lot of the students who hadn't been injured, or had already been discharged by Poppy Pomfrey. It was quite a sight, and even Irma Pince was there, helping.

'Ah, Auror Potter,' Irma said warmly as she walked to him. 'Headmistress McGonagall told us that you'll be staying with us from time to time, and Miss Lovegood and Mr Weasley told me what you're looking for. I gave the students who volunteered to help you a few orders.'

'Thank you, Mrs Pince,' Harry said. 'Filius… Professor Flitwick said he'd join us soon.'

'You're an Auror, and no longer a student. You can use our names if you wish,' Irma said.

Harry's cheeks coloured slightly when he said, 'If you're to be Irma, then I'm just Harry.'

She nodded and smiled. 'Things are going to be rather quiet until the next school year. I assigned you a table,' she said, pointing at one specific piece of furniture.

'I need to work on that one spell just for a few hours. Tomorrow, I can go see the Muggle police and ask them to look for Severus… that is, if my Location spells still don't work tonight and tomorrow morning,' Harry said.

'Why don't you contact them now?' a seventh-year Gryffindor inquired.

'Hermione has lost her papers, and they were fake. I can't have the Muggles involved in looking for her, and there's a delay for adults. I can't report Professor Snape's disappearance until tomorrow,' Harry explained.

The student, and his friends, nodded; they were quite impressed.

'Excellent, Harry. I see that our new Minister was quite inspired when he made you an Auror trainee. However… there's one thing you're forgetting,' Irma said, teasing him.

'What would that be?' Harry asked.

'You can acquire additional knowledge on your free time and read as many books as you want,' Irma said.

'Can I? I'm no longer a student,' Harry said.

'It is my privilege to invite civil servants to do research here. Besides, you're the one looking for my current favourite fellow bookworm,' Irma said.

'You can admit that you're quite fond of Mrs Snape,' George teased Irma.

She smiled and added, 'I am, and I've got a fair idea of what Severus had to do in order to protect us all, as well.'

Suddenly, in the quiet of the Library, a third-year sobbed.

'What's wrong, sweetie?' George asked the small girl, a Hufflepuff.

'He saved me from Carrow,' she whispered.

'Which one?' another student asked.

The wounds inflicted by Alecto and Amycus Carrow were still pretty raw in most cases.

'The witch,' the girl said.

'What happened?' Harry asked her kindly.

'Professor Snape saved me,' she simply said.

Harry used a variant of Legilimency and projected a thought to the girl. "_Knock, knock_," he thought.

"_Eh_?" she thought.

"_The others don't have to know what happened, but would you tell me_?" he asked her.

"_You could see _everything_ without asking me_," she thought.

"_Yes, but I'm a nice boy. Tell me_?" he thought gently.

He felt her smile before he saw it.

She invited him to see one of her memories. It felt a bit like a being in a Pensieve, but it was slightly different (perhaps because the owner of the memory was here to share feelings about it).

Harry saw how Maria had been punished by Alecto and sent to her office for a private punishment. She was waiting for the "teacher" when Severus Floo'ed in. He was on a mission for Voldemort; Maria understood as much without him saying a word. He asked her why she was in Alecto's office.

"_I think he used something like what you're doing now, because I felt a tingle when I told him about that witch, and how she treated us_," she explained before going on.

When Alecto barged into her office, Severus swirled around, and he hid the small student behind his flowing robes. Severus barked orders that Carrow had to obey immediately and Floo'ed out. Severus promised the little witch that her "teacher" would forget about her and the detention. When Carrow came back, it was as if she could no longer see Maria.

"_He helped you_," Harry told Maria.

"_He _saved_ me. You'll find him, won't you_?" she asked.

"_I really want to_," he answered.

"_Let's get to work_," she told him.

He nodded and joined the others.

'What do you need, Harry?' Luna inquired.

'Anything about wands and spells to record things,' he said.

His friends went to look for more books.

'Start with this one,' Irma declared, as she handed him a fair imitation of a Muggle phone directory that could pass for some of Hermione's "light" reading.

'I won't replace Hermione, you know,' he said.

She squeezed his shoulder and said, 'Surrounded by books, you're somewhat closer to her.'

Harry was rendered speechless. He started reading.

Harry read and tested theories until Minerva and Dyann came to drag him to the Great Hall.

'I could eat something here,' Harry mumbled.

Irma's low growl made him retreat behind his legal guardian.

'Sure instinct,' Dyann pointed out.

She cast a few spells on him and was satisfied with his state.

'I'll take back Hadrian now,' Dyann declared.

'He's hiding in my shirt. I think he doesn't want to go,' Harry explained.

'Hadrian! Come out right now, or I'll never be able to cast the spell that my secretary found,' the old Healer growled.

Harry laughed as Hadrian tickled him to get his head out between two buttons.

The students were sent to dinner with Irma to escort them.

Dyann acquired the ability to speak with snakes, and she shared the spell with George, but also with Minerva and Luna. Hadrian was almost bouncing around with glee.

Dyann decided to walk back to the gates to Disapparate to her home.

Minerva told George and Luna to come with them. On their way to the Great Hall, Harry realized that he hadn't seen Filius, and he said so to Minerva.

'He's _still_ fighting with the stairs,' she explained.

'I saw something that might help. May I try?' Harry asked.

'Be my guest,' Minerva said warmly. 'You have _five_ minutes.'

Harry grinned and jogged to the bottom of the stairs were Filius was casting charm after charm.

'May I try something? I think Min would like you to join us for dinner,' Harry said.

'If you have an idea, go ahead, my dear,' Filius said, panting.

Harry focussed on a combination of spells that he'd learnt in the afternoon. Filius observed the young man as he instinctively combined elements that had never been put together until now.

The stairs stopped behaving madly, as if Harry had lulled them.

'My dear Harry, we need to talk,' Filius said, as he started trotting towards the Great Hall.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	10. Chapter 10

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

During dinner, Filius praised Harry, and he encouraged him to follow his instincts. Filius explained to the young Auror why he was such an extraordinary wizard, and why combining spells and charms so easily wasn't a gift that the wizard on the street had.

'You're a powerful and good wizard, Harry,' Filius said.

Harry was about to protest, but Luna placed her small hand on his and said very softly, 'Look at George.'

Harry turned towards his old friend, who was smiling as he chatted with Irma.

Luna leant closer to Harry and added, 'In a moment, he'll remember that his twin is gone, but right now, he's no longer in pain... Thanks to you.'

Harry looked at Luna. She looked serene and self-assured, but Harry knew a part of what she'd gone through recently, and he was quite impressed by her calm.

She gave him one of her odd smiles, squeezed his hand, and then turned her attention back to her plate.

'Make sure that you eat your turnips. The smell makes the zozozz go away,' Luna said.

'All right,' Harry said neutrally.

Poppy whispered something to Filius, who whispered it to Minerva, who wrapped an arm around her young charge's shoulders and said in his ear, 'Eat your turnips; Poppy says that they'll be a good help for the eye treatment you got this morning.'

Harry turned to Minerva and blinked repeatedly.

'Harry?' she said gently.

'I can't believe what happened in just a day. Yesterday, I was fighting Riddle, and now I have you, and I've got a job… The _one_ job I wanted,' Harry said.

Minerva smiled.

'I really want to find Hermione and Severus,' Harry said softly, looking at his plate.

'Then eat your turnips, or you won't be able to locate them,' Minerva said.

Harry chuckled. 'Yes, Min,' he said, as he took the pot of gravy and drowned his turnips in its contents.

The meal was very pleasant.

After dessert, Minerva told Harry that he could go to their quarters to try a few spells. Irma told him that as long as he didn't eat or drink near them, he could borrow as many books as he wanted, and Filius said that he could come see him anytime, night or day, if he needed help.

'Miss Lovegood, Mr Weasley, you can stay with us if you'd like,' Minerva said.

'Thank you; I'll go to my dorm,' Luna said. The student looked as if everything was absolutely normal, and her dining at the High table had been some kind of treat for being a good witch, who fought on the right side.

George looked embarrassed.

'Gred? Do you want to go home?' Harry asked his friend.

'I'd rather not, but Mum is going to send the cavalry if I don't,' George answered.

'I could send a house-elf to warn your family,' Minerva suggested.

George paused, lost in his thoughts for a few seconds. 'Just my dad,' he said.

Minerva nodded.

Harry stood up and said, 'I'll hop by the Library, and then I'll go home.'

'If I don't see you within the half hour, I'll send all the ghosts after you,' Minerva declared.

Harry smiled. He kissed Luna's brow, which made her smile, and he turned to George. 'Come and help me with the books,' Harry said.

George smiled; he wanted to take a muffin, but the dark glare of their beloved librarian convinced him that that wasn't such a good idea.

It didn't take the two young wizards ten minutes to take the "really good books", according to Harry, to Minerva's home away from home.

Both wizards were quite impressed, because they'd never been in their head of house's private quarters in Hogwarts.

Minerva had ordered elves to prepare a working space for Harry, and once they'd put the books there, Minerva showed the boys their rooms. Harry's was a permanent one, but George's had been spelled for the occasion.

'There's something I've got to check in my office. I expect you to go to bed soon,' Minerva told Harry and George.

Once she was out, George asked, 'Doesn't she know how bad we are?'

'She just hopes we won't push ourselves too hard,' Harry said.

'You know that you're going to be a great Auror, don't you?' George said.

'Eh?' Harry said.

'Since we've lost the Snapes, _and_ since the battle, it's as if you see more things. You've changed,' George said.

'I have changed,' Harry said. "I died, and I had to make a few choices," he thought.

George saved him from dark thoughts by asking, 'What do you want to do now?'

'I'll try to locate the Snapes again,' Harry said.

None of his spells worked, because their magic was still gone.

Harry wanted to hope that they were safe, wherever Lihar had sent them, but he knew that they could be dead by now. They'd been abducted almost twenty-four hours ago.

Then, Harry had an idea.

'Can you do something for me, Gred?' Harry asked.

'What?' he wondered.

'I need you to keep compiling the list of spells and charms we've marked. I need to go out retrieve something,' Harry said.

'Can't I go with you?' George asked.

'I really need those spells,' Harry answered honestly.

George felt that it wasn't a trick to keep him in those quarters, and he started to work.

'I'll be back very soon,' Harry promised.

Harry took his father's Cloak from Hermione's bag, which he kept in its purse form in his inner pocket, and he left.

Invisible, Harry left the castle, and walked into the Forbidden Forest. He knew that he wouldn't be able to remember where he'd dropped the ring with the Resurrection stone, and therefore, he summoned it.

The precious item flew to its current owner.

Harry didn't want to use the stone in the forest. It wasn't a question of security; it was just that he didn't want to see his dead friends where he'd almost died himself… and if he were to see Hermione or Severus, he didn't want it to happen somewhere he wouldn't be able to cry as much as he'd like.

Harry headed _home_, to Hogwarts, to his brand new and permanent room in Minerva's private quarters.

Harry put his Cloak back into Hermione's bag, and spelled it to the size of a purse again. Then, Harry asked George how the cataloguing was going.

'It'd go faster if you helped me now,' George mock-complained. 'It's like the accounting for the shop; it's as exciting.'

'Give me just one moment. I'll be right back,' Harry said.

Then, he went to his room and used the magic of the stone.

Harry was relieved to not see the Snapes, but when he saw his recently fallen friends, that broke his heart, and he started crying.

George came in when he heard Harry. He thought that Harry was just feeling low after everything he'd been through, but he was in for a shock.

Fred begged Harry to let him say goodbye to his twin. Harry caved and explained to George what the Resurrection stone did before lending him the ring.

George didn't care that Harry saw him collapse on the floor, tears rolling steadily down his cheeks. Harry just wrapped an arm around George; he could only imagine what it meant to see his twin again.

From then on, George simply acted as if Harry weren't in the same room; only Fred mattered.

'How can I go on without you?' George asked Fred.

"_Silly… I'm right by your side_," Fred said.

'But I can't see you, and I miss you. I miss you more than I miss my ear,' George said.

That made Fred laugh heartily, which, in turn, made George chuckle and stop crying.

"_I'll always be by your side, George_," Fred promised.

George looked at the spirit of his twin and said, 'I don't know if I can live without you.'

Fred felt his twin's feelings, and Harry understood the true nature of the shudder that shook George's entire frame. George was collapsing without his twin; he was as good as truly half-dead.

Harry didn't know what to do or what to say, but Fred did. The spirit just knew that even if his twin didn't collapse for good within the next few days, he'd just live a very sad and somewhat empty life; there was one thing that Fred could try.

"_Give Harry the ring, I need to tell him something_," Fred ordered.

George took the ring off and said, 'He wants to talk to you.'

George sounded sad that Fred wanted to have a word with Harry. However, when Harry growled at Fred "Are you barmy?", George understood that his brother was on to something that had to be really good.

It seemed that Fred didn't give Harry much choice. The floor trembled, like someone who's suddenly cold and shivers violently, and then the ghost of Fred became visible.

'Bind us together,' Fred told Harry.

Harry seemed to hesitate, but George begged, 'Please.'

Harry remembered a spell he'd read about in the afternoon; it was a spell to glue things together. He remembered Filius's advice about listening to his instinct, as well.

'All right, but if it doesn't work, we'll just keep Fred's ghost here, and you'll become a teacher here, George,' Harry declared.

'May it work!' the twins said in synch.

George and Fred were beaming at each other when Harry cast yet another new combination of spells.

Harry was just done making sure that Fred would be able to go wherever his twin went when Minerva and Arthur Weasley rushed into Harry's room.

'Bit crowded in here!' Fred said with an impudent grin.

Arthur shouted a string of vowels and had to lean against the nearest wall.

Minerva looked at the young men and the ghost and quietly said, 'I do hope your use of High magic was fruitful, Harry. We have enough entertainment around with Peeves.'

Arthur was still unable to add a consonant to his sequences of vowels.

'Will you be okay, Dad?' Fred inquired, floating to his father.

Arthur nodded.

Fred turned to George and said, 'We need to try to leave Hogwarts together.'

'Let's go to the shop!' George said merrily.

'Can you imagine how much fun we can have with our customers?' Fred said, floating towards the fireplace in the parlour.

'Tell me about it!' George said, beaming.

George took a pinch of Floo powder and said, 'Diagon Alley!'

The green flames engulfed live and dead brothers both.

'It works,' Minerva commented calmly.

Harry found himself in Arthur's arms. 'You saved George,' he said, deeply moved.

'I helped a bit,' Harry said.

'You know better,' Arthur said. He turned to Minerva and said, 'I'd better head home, or the boys will drop in unannounced and cause heart attacks.'

Minerva nodded.

In a few seconds, Arthur had left them.

Minerva hugged Harry and whispered, 'Oh, you're such a precious wizard.'

'Because you're glad Fred isn't haunting us here,' Harry joked.

Minerva laughed at that and said, 'Not only.' She paused and said, 'Arthur came to tell me that Dekoo and Lihar's full confessions under Veritaserum have been registered; Dyann finished her new batch and administered it herself. The Ministry will wait to file the charges against them.'

'Abduction, endangerment of Wizarding people and perhaps manslaughter,' Harry said.

'Let's hope that they're not dead,' she said.

'For the moment, they're not,' Harry declared.

'How do you know that?' she wondered.

Harry explained about Albus, the ring and the stone.

'By the way, now that I've retrieved it, could I hide it among your jewellery?' he asked.

'Excellent idea… if I had a jewel box,' she said.

Harry sighed and said, 'I'll keep it with me for the moment, but I'll store it in my vault at Gringotts soon. If Riddle and his friends aren't around, it'll be safe enough until Hermione can give me a better idea.'

'You don't fully trust the Goblins,' Minerva stated.

Harry snorted and said, 'Not really.'

Minerva smiled. 'Maybe some Muggles rescued Severus and Hermione,' she suggested.

Harry nodded and said, 'If they were found by the Police, I think they'll be in some hospital. I hope their magic comes back fast, they'd be easier to locate.'

'I only came back because we felt your spell, but I'll go back to my office now. Go get some rest,' Minerva said.

She hugged Harry and left her quarters.

Harry smiled. He knew that she did have work to do, but he also knew that she was giving him some space to keep working on the spells that might unlock the secrets of Lihar's wand. Harry went back to work.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	11. Chapter 11

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Since Harry could cast spells without his wand, he tested his theories on his own wand before trying anything on Lihar's. At one point, he was so tired and desperate that he even tried a spell that would merge his wand with Lihar's, in order to assess if the new magic created that way might make a change, but it didn't work… or so he thought.

It was past midnight, and Harry decided to go to the kitchen for a cup of tea and a spot of pie.

Once in front of the kitchen door, he remembered Minerva's change and said, 'Lemon sherbet.'

The door opened instantly, and a few house-elves came to take care of Harry. Kreacher was among them, and Harry knelt to hug the house-elf, who blushed madly.

'I'm so happy to see you're well,' Harry said warmly.

'Thank you, Auror Potter,' the embarrassed Kreacher answered. 'What can I do for you?'

'Some tea, some pie, and the Snapes if you know where they are,' Harry joked.

Tea and pies were spelled on the table instantly.

'We don't know where the Snapes are, but we know they are alive and healing,' Kreacher said.

'Healing?' Harry gasped.

He cast the most precise Location spell that he knew, but it still didn't work.

'Drat!' Harry exclaimed.

'If we feel where they are exactly, I could come and see you,' Kreacher said.

'Would you?' Harry asked.

Kreacher nodded, his ears flapping madly.

'Thank you!' Harry said enthusiastically.

Harry sat down at the table and ate his night treat while chatting with the elves. The house-elves were absolutely delighted to have Harry spending some time with them.

Harry was about to gulp down the last bit of pie that he'd been given when Luna walked into the room.

'I have a message from Headmaster Dumbledore,' she said.

'What?' Harry squeaked.

'His portrait came to my room to tell me to go tell you that your experiment was doing something,' she told him.

Harry was quite surprised, and if the portrait had convinced Luna that something important was going on in the parlour of Minerva's quarters, then Harry had better hurry home.

'Thanks! I'd better run,' Harry said, and with those words, he rushed to the door.

'Hot cocoa, Miss Luna?' one house-elf asked the young witch.

'Yes, please,' she said, as she sat down at the spot vacated by Harry.

The house-elves started to serve their new guest, while Harry ran home.

'At last!' the portrait of Dumbledore told Harry when the young man entered the parlour.

'I couldn't Apparate!' Harry protested.

Dumbledore nodded, and then, he pointed towards the table where Harry's wand was merging with the Elder wand.

'I felt my old wand being summoned from its hiding place,' Dumbledore explained.

'It didn't work on a wand that's not mine, but it worked on those two,' Harry commented, as he separated the two wands.

'Harry, perhaps you should let your wands merge,' Dumbledore suggested.

'Ron thinks that the Elder wand is buried with you, and no one would imagine that I carry it within my wand,' Harry murmured.

Dumbledore nodded and looked at Harry with pride.

Harry noticed the look and said, 'It's just that everything Hermione ever told me is coming back.'

'I don't doubt that you'll find them,' Dumbledore told the young man.

'Thanks for the vote of confidence,' Harry said. 'Professor, do you think that merging the wands could hurt mine? I guess that I could ask Ollivander, but I don't want to burden him with such a big secret,' he added.

'Harry, both wands are yours. I think they'd add their powers together by being merged,' Dumbledore said.

Harry looked at the two wands and hesitated.

'You can always separate them if you don't like the result,' Dumbledore pointed out.

Harry nodded and cast the new spell again. Since the two wands were side by side this time, the Elder wand moved into Harry's first wand almost instantly. Harry took his new wand and felt the initial tingle of magic that his wand had given him the first time he held it, only this time it was multiplied by ten, and it felt… ancient in the background, too. Harry felt that he could work with this wand.

'I should check that it works properly,' Harry said, as he turned to face Dumbledore in his borrowed painting, which was a lovely Scottish scenery.

'Excellent idea, my dear child,' Dumbledore praised Harry.

Harry decided to trust his instincts again, and he pointed his wand at the painting and said, '_Obliviate_!'

Dumbledore blinked several times in his frame. He definitely looked as if he were wondering why he was in Minerva's quarters.

Now, Harry knew that he had to check if his trick had worked. 'It was very kind of you to send Luna to tell me that my parchments had reacted to an experiment and were dangerously close to the fireplace. Everything's back in order,' he lied.

Dumbledore seemed to lean forward, as if to have a look at the parchments rolled on the table, and he said, 'Well, I wouldn't want you to have to start looking again for the spells and charms that might help you find Severus and Hermione… She looked so terribly sad in my office. She would have followed him in death.'

Harry shuddered.

'But you're going to find them,' Dumbledore declared confidently.

Harry nodded and said, 'I want to. I know that they're not dead, and the house-elves seemed convinced that they're healing.'

'The house-elves have uncanny powers,' Dumbledore said.

'Too bad they can't locate my two temporary Muggles among the huge population of the island,' Harry said.

'It's only been a day, Harry,' Dumbledore pointed out.

'Time feels different. I hope I'll be less stressed when I end up looking for people I don't know,' Harry said softly.

'You've got too big a heart to change,' Minerva said as she joined them.

'Oh, look! I won't have to send you to her office!' Harry told Dumbledore to tease his guardian.

Dumbledore grinned, and Minerva beamed.

'Did you want to see us, Albus?' Minerva asked the portrait.

'He came by to rescue my parchments. They tried to escape when I went to the kitchen,' Harry explained.

Minerva blinked a few times.

'I think they're tamed now,' Harry said.

'Indeed,' Dumbledore added.

Minerva had seen stranger magical things, and she didn't ask more questions.

'I'll go play chess now. Good night, my dears," Dumbledore said. He waved briefly and was gone.

'Is everything taking shape?' Harry asked Minerva.

'There is a lot of work ahead, but we'll be ready for the next school year,' she answered.

Harry heard something in her voice. 'Really?' he asked her.

'Well, it'd be easier with Severus around, and possibly Hermione, if she'd accept a position here,' she admitted.

'Are you really wondering if Hermione would work here? Hell! She'd replace Filch for free to work here,' Harry said.

'As Mrs Snape, she'd be entitled to stay here. Your friend might have other plans now that she's married,' Minerva pointed out.

It took Harry a moment to realize that Minerva wanted to point out that the Snapes might wish to start a family, and then it took Harry a few more seconds to wrap his head around the fact that Severus Snape would be the father of Hermione's children.

Harry grinned as he said, 'You do remember that we're talking about Hermione, right?'

Minerva tilted her head.

'She can take care of Snape, have kids, work for you and even take a Muggle job if she decides it,' Harry said.

Minerva was forced to chuckle… and to concede that Harry might well be right. Severus and Hermione were both hard workers, and they might well achieve extraordinary things.

'Well, I'll count on you to bring them home,' she said.

Harry smiled, but his face was serious when he asked, 'What if they've lost their magic for good?

'We're talking about Severus and Hermione,' she said, as if their names were talismans protecting their magic.

Harry agreed to take one step at a time; first locate them, and then see if they were a wizard and a witch again. Truth be told, and even if Hermione had miraculously brought her lover back from death, Harry couldn't imagine either of them without magic.

'Let's go get some sleep,' she suggested.

Harry nodded, and both retreated to their respective bedroom.

At dawn, Harry woke up, and he wasn't surprised to meet Minerva in the parlour. Harry announced that he'd grab some breakfast in the kitchen, and he'd go looking for the Snapes.

As he closed the door, Minerva wished that he'd find the Snapes before lunch. Unfortunately, things wouldn't happen that way.

.

.

Hermione woke up with a start when someone pounded on their door. She left their bed reluctantly, put her jacket on her shoulders and went to investigate.

Hermione looked at the clock on the mantelpiece, and it was ten to seven.

She groaned and shouted at the door, 'Who's there?'

'Petunia McKenzie! Open that door!' was barked in answer.

Hermione opened the door and barked back, 'Are you mad? Severus needs to sleep… and who the hell are you?'

Mrs McKenzie slapped Hermione quite hard and yelled, 'Alexander is my son, and I'll never let him be involved with a lazy slut like you!'

Hermione was frozen for one second, and then… she slapped the woman back. She slapped her so hard that she collided with the door that was behind her.

'Listen to me, you bleeding twat! I have no interest in your son. He drove us here after we were attacked, but I have someone fantastic in my life, and your son is of no interest for me. Now, I don't know what you're smoking, lady, but I advise you to leave and never come back, and you can tell your son that if he comes back here, I'll kick him in the nuts!' Hermione growled.

Mrs McKenzie looked deeply surprised, as if no one had dared contradict her in quite a long time. However, she looked about to start another tirade.

'Do as Hermione says,' Severus purred dangerously from the bottom of the stairs.

Mrs. McKenzie hadn't expected to have to deal with Hermione's "father" since her son had implied that Mr Snape was in pretty bad shape. She took a breath and shivered, which made her look like an angry hen with rustled feathers, but she never had the opportunity to add another word as Severus walked towards her.

'Leave our house,' Severus said.

Mrs McKenzie squeaked and turned around.

As Hermione was closing the door, Mrs McKenzie hissed, 'You'll pay for this… filthy whore.'

Severus, who was right behind his wife, heard that. He placed his hand over hers and opened the door again.

'It's unwise to threaten her,' he declared.

There was something so dark and menacing in Severus's eyes that Mrs McKenzie paled and ran to her car.

Severus slammed the door shut, and he held Hermione tight; she was shivering.

'Hermione?' he said gently.

She turned to face him and asked, 'Are you all right?'

He caressed her cheek and said, 'Look at you, worrying about me. I had a much harder time when the Dark Lord was still alive. How are you?'

'It's my job to worry about you,' she said.

'If so, it's mine to worry about you, too, and now, will you answer the question, _Granger_?' he said to tease her.

'I'm a bit shaken,' she admitted.

'That hag slapped you; I'll make her pay,' he declared.

Hermione couldn't help but feel pleased that Severus wanted to protect her.

'Do you want to go back to bed, or have some breakfast?' she asked.

'Tea sounds like a beautiful idea. What about you? The hag must have woken you up with a start,' he said.

'It's all right, I'll go make breakfast,' she said.

'_We'll_ go make breakfast,' he corrected her.

She smiled and hugged him.

They went to the kitchen and worked together.

They were finishing their meal when Hermione said, 'Severus?'

He hummed to invite her to go on.

'I'd like us to talk about our future,' she said.

He hummed again. 'What aspects?' he inquired.

'What are we going to do if our magic doesn't come back?' she asked.

'We'll head to London. Even if we could no longer see the door to the Leaky Cauldron, we'd be bound to meet someone we know, and we could get help to access my bank account. I'll find a job somewhere, and you'll take exams in a Muggle school,' he said.

'I see I'm not the only one who gave this a thought,' she commented. She smiled and went on, 'I could find a Muggle job.'

'You wouldn't find anything _challenging_ for you without a diploma, and I'm not letting your brain not be used if you can't be a witch,' he declared.

'How are _you_ going to find a good job, if you're not a Potions master or a teacher?' she wondered.

One corner of his mouth rose, and he waited for her to come to the logical conclusion.

She gasped and exclaimed, 'You've got a Muggle diploma!'

He chuckled and said, 'Life was quiet until Potter came to Hogwarts.'

'What diploma did you earn?' she asked excitedly.

'I have a Ph.D. in Chemistry, and if you share that with Potter or Weasley, I won't help you in your work, whatever you end up doing,' he answered.

She smiled and said, 'It's our secret.'

He smiled back.

She started clearing their table, and he helped her.

'It might take quite a few days for our magic to come back,' he stated.

'I'm impatient… and a bit afraid,' she admitted.

'Try not to be afraid, it might slow down your recovery,' he said.

She nodded.

They heard a car arrive.

'Do you think Petunia is coming for round two?' she asked.

He shook his head, chuckled and said, 'There might be something in that name.'

Hermione laughed softly; Harry's aunt and the minister's mother gave a bad reputation to a very nice flower.

'It must be the dutiful son. I'll deal with him,' Severus declared.

There was such a light in his eyes that Hermione could see that he was truly recovering.

Severus stood up just as there was a timid knock on the door.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	12. Chapter 12

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'Stay here, will you?' Severus told her.

She nodded and said, 'It'll be better if you're the one dealing with him. Besides, I told Petunia that I'd kick her son somewhere painful if I ever saw him again.'

Severus smiled at his wife, and she reflected that a smiling Severus was a damn good sight.

He walked to the door and yanked it open. On the other side, McKenzie looked devastated and paler than a shroud.

'Mr McKenzie, I presume,' Severus said with his classroom voice.

The minister nodded, and he began to say, 'Mother told me what she…'

'Mr McKenzie, while I am grateful that you helped us yesterday, I will not be associated with someone whose female genitor thinks she can barge in uninvited and insult Hermione,' Severus interrupted him icily. 'She even slapped Hermione, and I will not tolerate such behaviour.'

McKenzie was looking more and more appalled. 'She…' he began to say.

Severus interrupted him again, 'Yes, she dared slap Hermione, and she called her nasty names. All that, because she seems to believe that _you_ have some interest in Hermione; however, I must inform you that she's in a committed relationship, and she's indicated that she's very happy with him. Therefore, your attentions are all the more unwelcome.'

That was a bit of a last straw for the poor minister, who'd been hoping that he could make amends, and get to woo Hermione. With his position, in the quiet countryside around Manchester, he didn't have many opportunities to meet new young ladies (and he'd instantly felt attracted to Hermione).

'But…' McKenzie tried to protest again.

'But, what? You'd like to help us because it's your duty as a minister?' Severus inquired coldly.

'Ye…Yes, I'd like to make sure that you're both all right,' he answered.

'Very kind. We're both used to fending for ourselves, and we've got each other. If I were to allow you to come back, your mother would harass us, and I cannot allow it. Now, I'll ask you to leave and _never_ come back,' Severus declared.

McKenzie looked shattered when Severus closed the door again.

The young minister must have been nearly in shock because it was a good full minute later that Severus heard the car start again and leave the street.

'That should do it,' Severus said as he went back to the kitchen.

'I hope so,' Hermione answered with a small smile.

There was something in her smile that prompted Severus to say, 'Hermione?'

'I am _very_ happy with you,' she said, blushing ever so slightly.

He chuckled at that and said, 'And I'm glad that we shared that cup of tea back in Hogwarts.'

'Um… "Cup of tea" is that what you call what we did?' she teased him.

'It could be a code between us,' he suggested, one corner of his mouth rising.

She laughed softly and said, 'I'd never have suspected that you could be so saucy, Professor Snape.'

His smile widened, and he said, 'You must inspire me, Mrs Snape.'

He closed the space between them, leant towards her, and kissed her lips.

'I think that sometime later, I'll be well enough for a "cup of tea",' he announced.

She blushed, but she smiled.

'What do you want us to do now?' he asked her. 'Perhaps you'd like to take a nap?'

She shook her head and said, 'I think I'd like to take a bath.'

'Oh… I think we'll have to share one; the boiler was old when my father had it installed, and I don't know much about Muggle plumbing,' he explained.

'I don't mind sharing a bath with you,' she said.

'When we can use magic again, we'll be able to use Heating spells. For the moment, we'll have to rely on a very old Muggle boiler,' he said.

Their bath was rather quick, because all the antediluvian boiler was able to produce was tepid water.

Severus wanted to give his ancient terry-towelling bathrobe to his wife, but she refused, saying that he was in a worse shape than she, and she wrapped herself in their towel.

'There's something…' he began to say.

'What?' she asked with a bright smile.

'I… kept some of my mother's clothes. They're certainly old-fashioned, but they might provide you with some change,' he said.

'Really? You wouldn't mind?' she asked.

'Of course not! But I fear they were already outdated when she bought them,' he told her.

'I'll be glad to get some change of clothes,' she said. She paused and added, 'Would you tell me more about her?'

He nodded. 'I think I packed an old photo album with her clothes. We can go look for those if you want,' he said.

'Perfect,' she answered.

She was almost bouncing, and he found that entirely too cute (and for a second, he was grateful that she wasn't able to hear that thought, thanks to magic).

To hide his reaction, he crouched to look for something in the cabinet under the sink. He found a brand new, still packaged Muggle toothbrush there, and he handed it to Hermione.

'Oh, I love you!' she exclaimed, as she took the toothbrush.

He chuckled and said, 'Remind me to buy you a new one for our bonding anniversaries.'

'Brat!' she said fondly. 'You know, you'll get along just fine with Harry.'

'I'm not sure,' he said neutrally.

'I don't know what memories you shared with him, but I saw him change his mind about you,' she explained.

He paled a bit, remembering what he'd wanted Lily's son to see. 'I gave him what he needed to know to connect the dots… I hope.'

Hermione understood that the link between Harry and Severus was Lily Evans, and she didn't want Severus to feel bad about his past. After all, his magic and his spirit had created a bond between them; he hadn't moved onto the next plane, looking for Lily Potter, he'd stayed around to say goodbye to her, Hermione Granger, and she'd brought him back to _her_.

She decided to change the topic. 'Well, you can give me anything you want for our anniversaries, but right now, I'm _really_ happy to have a new toothbrush. My parents are dentists, and I've been raised to take great care of my teeth,' she said.

He smiled and said, 'I hope you'll approve of my toothpaste; we'll have to share it.'

'My dad is very particular as to the brand he wants, but I really don't care as long as it's toothpaste,' she told him.

He prepared his toothbrush while she opened the wrapping of hers.

There was something on Severus's mind, and he knew that the sooner he asked the question, the better.

'Hermione, what will your parents think about me? About us?' he said.

She sighed and answered, 'I don't know. Perhaps they won't acknowledge that we bonded because they'll be mad at me for using a Memory-charm on them.'

Severus nodded slowly.

'When they recover from the surprise, you'll have to keep in mind that they might ask you to marry me. Don't worry, I'll know what to tell them if that happens,' she said.

'What?' he asked.

'Well, since you're family now, I can tell you that my parents got married after my first birthday, so if they try to play the "you must get married" card, I know what to tell them. Besides, we _are_ married… only by magic,' she answered.

He nodded again. 'All right, but is it something that you'd like?' he inquired.

'I don't see the point of getting married twice,' she said.

He loved how she looked at him as if he'd grown an eye on the tip of his nose.

'Now, it might be nice to renew our bonding for our golden anniversary,' she teased him.

'How many years is that?' he asked.

'Fifty,' she said, before starting to brush her teeth.

Severus was quite impressed… and delighted that she was so confident about _them_. He started brushing his teeth, too, and though he was meticulous, he finished long before Hermione. She shrugged and kept brushing, as if she was used to taking longer than most people to brush her teeth.

That extra time allowed Severus to comb his hair.

When she was finally done, he said, 'I'm afraid we'll have to share the comb as well.'

'If you don't mind, I don't mind,' she said.

He handed her the comb, which got stuck on the very first lock that she tried to disentangle. She growled her frustration.

'Would you like some help?' he said.

'Yes, please!' she answered, one hand attached to the trapped comb.

They went back to their bedroom, sat on the bed, and he proceeded to tame her bushy hair.

'I'd been relying on spells to take care of my hair, and I haven't properly brushed it in ages,' she murmured.

'Until you can use spells again, I'll help you if you want,' he said.

'Thanks,' she said softly.

It was almost as if he could feel her fears about their powers.

He gently caressed her neck and said, 'Think positively, Hermione, and your magic will come back faster.'

'It's just that I'm so afraid,' she confessed.

'Together, we can do anything we want, magic or no magic, but you're going to slow down the return of your magic if you worry so much,' he said.

'Are you sure we can do anything?' she wondered.

'I seem to be alive today,' he simply said.

He felt her relax, and that made him smile.

Once he'd combed and braided her hair, they got dressed and went to the attic. In an old Hogwarts trunk, they found old witching robes that had belonged to Severus's late mother, and a few Muggle clothes, too. There were two skirts and a blouse that Hermione could wear without being afraid of looking like an escapee from the 70s.

Severus found the photo album that he'd mentioned, and they took it to the tiny sitting room after Hermione had changed into her mother-in-law's clothes and put her own in the bathtub to wash later.

She sat on his lap in the chair, and he opened the album. Hermione was delighted to discover more things about her husband's past.

However, Severus felt ill-at-ease when he turned the last page of the album, because that was where he'd put a few items related to Lily Evans.

'It's all right, Severus,' Hermione declared quietly. 'You have a past, and that's something I understand,' she promised.

He wrapped his arms around her, letting the album close on her lap; he buried his nose in the crook of her neck and said, 'She was a dream. She never was anything more… Well, no, it's more complicated than that, but even what I thought I had with her is a complete joke compared to what I have with you for real.'

That declaration made her gasp.

He moved back to look at her, smiled (a sight Hermione knew that she'd never get tired of) and pecked her lips.

She beamed at him, settled in his arms, and they cuddled (another verb that Severus wouldn't like to be caught thinking) together until it was time to go make lunch.

.

.

Harry discovered that Kreacher had his breakfast ready, and even a lunch bag for midday. Harry chatted with the elves who were buzzing around like bees, making breakfast for the remaining staff and students.

Before Floo'ing from the kitchen, Harry tried his Location spells, but they weren't working yet. He went to the Ministry, and reported to Arthur, since no one really seemed to care about Harry's mission but Mr Weasley and their Minister.

Arthur took a few minutes to drag Harry to his newly assigned Auror desk, a space where he could work; Minister Shacklebolt had taken a minute to give the order (he was getting good preliminary reports on Harry's work, and he wanted to encourage the young man who was doing what was right… _again_).

The Auror Department had been decimated in the war, and Harry ended up in a room with three other desks, but no colleagues, which suited him.

Arthur told him how to spell-lock the door, and Harry decided to leave his lunch there, which amused Arthur.

'Do you have anything new?' Arthur asked Harry as he escorted him to the main Atrium.

'No, but I'll go see the Muggle police once I've bought Muggle clothes that won't make me stand out in the crowd. I've got to stop by Gringotts to trade some Galleons,' Harry explained.

'Whatever you buy, don't forget to ask for an invoice; that way the Ministry will reimburse you,' Arthur said. He saw that Harry was about to protest and say that he had enough money, so he went on, 'Harry, even if you were the richest wizard on earth, you're working for the Ministry, so you get invoices if you buy anything in your line of work, and you give them to the Ministry officer in charge of internal matters at the reception. They'll have the Accounting Department tell the bank to credit you back. You must do it, Harry; otherwise, why not pay to be allowed to work here?'

Harry sighed, nodded and said, 'Okay.'

'Good boy,' Arthur said with a wide smile.

'Thanks for your help, Mr Weasley,' Harry said.

'Oh, for Merlin's sake, call me Arthur. I know you'll never be my son-in-law now, but we're going to work together for many years,' Arthur said.

Harry paled.

'I'm very sorry, Harry,' Arthur said gently.

'So am I, but… what Ron and Ginny tried to do… what they said…' his voice trailed off.

'I understand, Harry, and I really hope that you'll find the Snapes soon,' Arthur said.

Harry sighed.

'Fred took George's side, you know,' Arthur said.

'And?' Harry asked.

'A ghost doesn't need to sleep. Molly already suggested to George that he move back above the shop if they want to re-open it as fast as possible,' Arthur explained.

Harry could definitely picture Fred haunting Ron and Ginny if he thought that they were wrong about the Snapes. He laughed heartily.

They'd reached the entrance on Diagon Alley, and Arthur wished Harry good luck. Harry waved and promised to keep Arthur posted.

After trading Galleons for pounds, Harry headed to Muggle London. He found a little second-hand shop where he found a suitable disguise; it wasn't in the poor shape of his last Muggle clothes that had survived the war, but it didn't seem to be right off the rack, which might make the police suspicious.

'Er…' Harry began to say as he was going to pay.

'Look, Honey, I can make it five pounds less on the lot, but that's all,' the young man at the counter said.

'Thanks, but the money's not a problem,' Harry said.

'No?' the now blinking shop attendant asked.

'No… In fact, I'd like to know if I can get an invoice. I should have asked you first, but I forgot, and if I don't get one, Arthur is going to be disappointed,' Harry said.

Harry saw the attendant react to the name he'd mentioned, and he realized that it could sound as if he had to give the invoice to a jealous boyfriend.

The shop attendant beamed and said, 'No prob', Honey. We don't want Arthur to spank you. One invoice coming up!'

Two minutes later, Harry was on the street again, his Wizarding clothes in a plastic bag, and looking like a normal young Muggle.

The misunderstanding in the shop had even given him a strange idea as to the way to tell his story to the police. He wanted to make the police officers feel as if they had to protect and help him; surely, he could play the innocent needing help.

Ready to test his theory (and ready to Memory-charm a bobby if need be), Harry walked to the first police officer in uniform that he spotted.

'Excuse me, Sir? I need your help,' Harry said, trying to look as nice and innocent as possible.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	13. Chapter 13

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'What can I do for you?' the policeman asked kindly.

'Well, it's complicated, Sir. I was here with a colleague of my legal guardian, and he's disappeared. I'm worried about him; he might be in the north, but I don't know how to find him. Can you help me?' Harry said.

He was trying to be as cute as a lost puppy… and it worked beautifully.

'Of course. You're quite lucky; I can see DCI Nettle down the street, and I know he's just finished a case. Come with me, Sir,' the policeman said.

Harry followed the officer, who ran towards a man on the corner of the street.

'Sir? This young man wants to report a disappearance,' the policeman told the plain clothes officer.

Nettle turned to face Harry and _seemed_ to look at him as if to assess if he could believe what such a young man had to report and if he could help him solve his problem.

'All right, Constable, I'll see what I can do,' Nettle told the policeman.

'You're in very good hands,' the constable told Harry.

'Thank you, Sir,' Harry thanked him.

'I need to go back to the station. Come with me?' Nettle told Harry.

'Yes, Sir!' Harry answered obediently.

Nettle nodded at the constable, and he started walking towards his car.

Harry followed. In front of the car, Harry waited.

'Waiting for an invitation? It's open, you know,' Nettle pointed out with a chuckle.

'Where do you want me to sit, Sir?' Harry inquired.

'In the front, with me. I'm not arresting you,' Nettle said.

Nettle was already fastening his seat-belt when Harry joined him and sighed.

'Problem?' Nettle asked.

'No, I'm sorry to be so clumsy, Sir. It's just that my aunt and uncle never allowed me to sit in the front,' Harry explained.

'Really?' Nettle asked.

There was something in Nettle's voice that Harry found odd, and he looked at the DCI.

Harry was about to use Legilimency when Nettle said, 'My wife is a witch. I know who you are, Mr Potter.'

Harry did use Legilimency then, and he saw that Nettle would have fought on his side, if given the opportunity.

'I really need your help. One… No… I'm going to trust you. Two of our friends lost their magic after the last battle, and they were abducted, and then sent away by Portkey. Our new Minister for Magic gave me the power to look for them, but they're basically Muggles for the moment, and I don't know what to do,' Harry explained.

'Whoa,' Nettle said.

'Will you help me?' Harry inquired.

'Of course,' Nettle said. 'As Constable Jones said, I've just finished a case. I handed my report in this morning, and I was just telling the victim that she's safe now. Before heading to the station to look for your friends, I'd like to hop by my home, if you don't mind,' he added.

'Er… why?' Harry wondered.

'My wife and I agreed to do whatever we could to protect our children, and we've been out of the Wizarding community for months. We no longer get the newspaper, and therefore she doesn't know that the war is over,' Nettle explained.

'All right, let's go,' Harry said.

On their ride to the suburbs, Harry told Nettle what he and his wife had missed, and he explained what had happened to the Snapes.

Nettle was about to park his car in his garage when Harry yelled, 'Stop!'

Nettle braked like mad and asked worriedly, 'What's wrong?'

'Your wife has placed wards around your house, and they're strong enough to send me to Normandy,' Harry explained. 'I'll have to stay outside and wait for your wife to allow me in.'

Harry got out of the car and added through the window, 'I could breach them, but that would frighten your family, and probably wake up the baby.'

Nettle, who'd thought for one moment that the famous Harry Potter might not be such a good wizard, changed his mind about the young and brand new Auror trainee.

Mrs Nettle was told about the end of the war, and she agreed to invite Harry into her home.

James and Henrietta Nettle had a son, Danny, who would go to Hogwarts in September, and they had a little girl of two, Juliet.

Harry had to tell his story another time.

'I remember Snape. He was a fifth-year when I went to Hogwarts; Sirius said he was a Dark wizard,' Henrietta said.

'Oh, my! A Gryffindor!' Harry exclaimed. 'All right, let's be clear, Ma'am; my godfather said many things, and everything he said about Severus was a lie. If it weren't for Severus, and his wife, my friend Hermione, you'd still be in hiding, and Voldemort might have won the war, which would have been a death sentence for your family in the long run,' he said.

Henrietta gasped when Harry said the name of the Dark Lord.

'And stop being afraid of the twat; he was defeated by someone with a lot less experience. He was lucky, and he had followers, but Voldemort was not as good as he wanted everybody to believe it,' Harry growled.

One hand over her mouth and her eyes bulging, Henrietta nodded.

She took a deep breath and said, 'And the Snapes have lost all their magic and you can't locate them.'

Harry sighed, 'No… May I cast the spell here?'

'Of course!' she said warmly.

James nodded minutely, and Harry cast the most powerful Location charm he knew. It still didn't work.

Henrietta blinked.

'Something wrong?' James inquired.

'Auror Potter is quite powerful,' she answered.

'Oh, please! Harry, _just_ Harry! I'll be an Auror if I can locate Severus and Hermione, and if I get some decent training. Dodging hexes works on a battlefield, but that's not everything there is to the job,' Harry said.

'Do you mean that they just said "you're a cop, go find the Snapes"? They didn't help you, or anything?' the outraged Danny asked.

Harry merely shook his head. 'I'm officially an Auror trainee, which allows me to look for the Snapes, I've got a manual to read, and that's it for the moment,' he said.

'Dad!' Danny exclaimed.

'Easy, Danny. I'm going to help Harry,' James said. He looked at his wife and said, 'Now, would you do something about that?'

James was pointing at their son, who was levitating.

Henrietta cast a spell on the boy.

'Ah… Wishful magic. I remember the fun that was; it got me punished every time,' Harry said sadly.

'Really?' Danny gulped.

Harry nodded and said, 'My aunt hates magic; she couldn't understand that we can't help it sometimes.'

'But I hope she wasn't too harsh,' James said.

Harry shrugged, but the quick look he gave to Danny told James that Harry didn't want to mention his Muggle family in front of the boy.

The exchange was lost on Danny, who asked, 'If the war is over, that means I can go to Hogwarts, right?'

'Yes, and it's my guardian who's the new Headmistress,' Harry said.

'Cool!' the boy exclaimed.

'And the Snapes might teach there, too, if their magic comes back,' Harry added.

'Danny, why don't you go check that your sister is still asleep?' James said.

'Grown-up talk, I get it,' the boy said good-naturedly as he left the room.

'So, that aunt of yours?' James inquired.

'She's the past now. Today, I have Minerva, and she'll never let anyone do what my blood relatives did to me,' Harry said.

'Minerva? As in… McGonagall?' Henrietta asked.

Harry beamed and nodded. The witch whistled. James looked so puzzled that she said, 'She was my Head of house.'

Now, the Muggle in the room associated the formidable lady in his wife's school stories with Harry's new legal guardian.

'So, you _do_ know that your Severus Snape and his wife have been sent somewhere up north, and when they were abducted from the hospital, both were unconscious,' James told Harry, who nodded.

'I don't know if Severus has some identification with him, but I know that Hermione's papers are with me. I'm not even sure they know that they're married, and for all I know, they could still be in a coma. What frightens me is that Hermione might think that she's got no one to protect her,' Harry said.

'She's a minor; what about her parents?' James inquired.

'Until Healer Fille can cast the spell that'll tell us if their magic will come back, the Grangers are unavailable,' Harry said.

'How so?' James asked.

'Hermione knew that she'd become a target by staying with me; she Memory-charmed her parents and sent them to the other side of the world. She's the only one who can find them,' Harry explained.

'I understand why you were reluctant to mention her,' James said. 'And yet, I'll have to include her in my search.'

'If you find them, and they're in trouble, I can bring them to safety with magic,' Harry pointed out.

James nodded. 'You know, there's one thing I can do from here; I can check the incident reports in the north,' he said.

James went to his laptop, which was on a small table in the dining room where they were.

'I'll go make some tea,' Henrietta announced.

'What's wrong, Etta?' James asked warmly as he typed his password.

'Mrs Snape is incredibly brave… Find that girl, James,' she said.

She left the room and practically fled to the kitchen.

Harry went to stand next to James.

'I imagine that bringing someone back from death isn't usual, even for you Wizarding people,' James whispered.

'I haven't checked that yet, but it might well be a first,' Harry murmured. He looked at James, who was typing keywords to look for the Snapes, and added, 'You know, I think your wife thought about using a Memory-charm on you and the children, but couldn't do it.'

James froze. He turned to look at Harry and almost gasped, 'You must be right.'

Harry nodded and gave the DCI a tiny smile.

'You're good, Harry. You have good instincts,' James said. 'I'll tell you how I would train you if you were working for me, and you'll adapt that to your line of work.'

'Thank you, Sir,' Harry said.

'James… or I'll call you Auror Potter,' James said.

'Okay, James,' Harry said.

'One of the first things you'll have to do is read your Auror manual, and memorize it. You must know the procedure by heart, from cover to cover and backwards. You _are_ the Law, Harry,' James said.

Harry nodded; he felt a lump in his throat. James's remarks were making everything more real than Kingsley's nominating him and Arthur giving him a crash course in Auror duties.

James smiled at Harry's reaction, and he turned back to his laptop.

Henrietta came back with mugs of tea, and the three of them sipped tea as James looked at all the reports about people rescued by the police and/or brought to hospitals within the past forty-eight hours. There was no couple, and no one fitting the description of either Severus or Hermione.

'I'll need to file a missing person report,' James told Harry.

Harry sighed and asked, 'What will you do about Hermione?'

'Her marriage is fully legal, isn't it?' James asked.

'Yes, it is,' Harry said.

'Then, I'll look for Mr Severus and Hermione Snape. I can enter a general description; I don't have to say that she's…How old is she?' James said.

'She'll be eighteen in September,' Harry answered.

'Isn't she a bit young to be married already? And to a man who's… well, old enough to be her father, since Snape went to school with your own parents,' James said.

'If anyone knows what she, or he, is doing, that's Hermione. She's certainly as mature as Severus, and she knows what she wants. You'll see what I mean when we find her,' Harry said.

James shrugged.

'Oh, James, one piece of advice. Even if her magic isn't back yet, don't tell her that she's too young to be with the bloke she loves, the bloke she brought back to life… Witch or not, she could punch you,' Harry said.

Henrietta patted her husband's shoulder and said, 'Do as he says.'

James smiled at his wife. He turned to Harry and said, 'I suppose you don't have Muggle photos of your friends.'

'I have one of Hermione in her bag, and there might be one of Severus at Hogwarts,' Harry said. 'I could take you there if you want,' he added.

'Perhaps you could try to take a digital picture of the Wizarding photos if you do it at the station,' Henrietta suggested.

James nodded. 'We'll head back to the station. I'll see you tonight,' he told his wife.

'I'll Apparate to my folks with the kids. Don't worry if we're a bit late,' she answered.

James smiled, and he and Harry went back to the car.

On their way back to town, James asked, 'Could you get a Marriage Certificate for the Snapes? It might help.'

'We could park your car near the street where we met, and then I can take you to the Ministry with me,' Harry said.

'Would I be allowed in?' James wondered.

'You're the Detective Chief Inspector in charge of the investigation about the disappearance of the Snapes. You're the Muggle who's helping me find them; therefore, you're allowed in the Ministry. _That_, I read about yesterday,' Harry answered.

James smiled.

.

.

They parked near one of the entrances of the Ministry, and Harry led his Muggle colleague inside.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	14. Chapter 14

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

This scene will seem slightly shorter because I had to edit the R18 part of the "tea" scene. The complete version is available on my Yahoogroup, and it will be posted on my website when I update this bunny.

.

Harry went to the main reception desk, and he saw that one of the employees was there to take care of fellow Ministry agents; Harry went to see her.

'Hello, Ma'am,' he said.

'Auror Potter, I've been expecting you. I have your trainee badge,' she said rather coldly.

'Well, sorry, but no one told me, and my name isn't Trelawney,' Harry growled.

The witch squeaked, blinked, and then chuckled.

'You're right. I'm sorry, Auror Potter; things are mad here since you ended the war. The ministry is buzzing with activity,' she said. 'I'm Adelaide Groops,' she added.

'Delighted, Mrs Groops,' Harry said as he reverently took his badge.

Adelaide smiled and said, 'Your mother had the exact same reaction when I gave her her Auror badge.'

Harry grinned at Adelaide.

'I'm going to need your help, Mrs Groops,' Harry said.

'What can I do for you?' she asked warmly.

'Oh! First, I have an invoice,' he said.

He retrieved the paper in his bag and handed it to Adelaide.

'Perfect! The exact amount you paid will be deposited on your account within three days,' she said. 'What else?'

'I need a copy of Severus and Hermione Snape's marriage certificate. Something that I can show to the Muggles,' Harry said.

'I'll have it spelled on paper, not parchment,' Adelaide said, as she sent a flying note to the Family Archives.

'And I'd need a photo of Severus Snape if you have that,' Harry added.

'_We_, Auror Potter,' Adelaide corrected him as she sent another note to the Education Department. Harry looked so puzzled that she went on, 'You're a member of the Ministry, so you should be wondering if _we_ have such a photo. Incidentally, I think one was taken when he was made Headmaster.'

'Thank you,' Harry said.

'Everything will be delivered to your office within twenty to thirty minutes,' Adelaide said.

'Thank you, Mrs Groops,' Harry said.

'You're welcome, Auror Potter; now go find the Snapes. Merlin knows that we need that insufferable Slytherin to teach Potions to our kids!' she said.

'I'll do my best, Ma'am,' Harry said.

Harry and James left Adelaide and went to Harry's office.

While waiting for the papers to arrive, Harry invited James to share the lunch Kreacher had prepared.

'It's a small bag, Harry. We can stop somewhere on our way to the station, and I'll buy something,' James said.

'Let's see what Kreacher packed,' Harry said as he opened the bag.

He looked inside and laughed heartily.

'Harry?'

'It's a magical bag. There's enough for both of us,' Harry declared as he began to empty the contents of the bag on an empty desk.

Harry and James ate sandwiches and drank iced tea. They were eating apples when the certificate and photo were brought to Harry's office.

'I've got an idea,' Harry said.

He took a Wizarding picture of Hermione that she'd kept in her bag; he was in it, too, hugging her, and Ron was sulking in a corner.

Harry took a ruler and used it to tear the part where Ron was.

'Sorry, mate, but you went too far this time,' Harry told Ron in the picture, as he tossed the photo into his dustbin.

Harry listened to his instincts, and he placed Severus's photo next to the one where he was hugging Hermione. The Harry in the photo went to drag Severus next to Hermione, and then he went to occupy the other photo.

'There… one photo of Severus and Hermione Snape. In colour,' Harry told James.

'Do you think my digital camera would work here?' James asked.

'I really don't know, and I'd hate it if it were to explode because of the magic around,' Harry said.

'I'll give it a try,' James declared.

He opened his camera… and it didn't explode.

'Look at me and don't move,' James told the couple in the picture.

Severus and Hermione seemed to freeze. James pushed the button to take a Muggle picture, and it worked. He could even check the results.

'Interesting. I'll have to check the kind of Muggle technology I can use,' Harry said.

'Excellent idea,' James said as he put the camera back in his pocket.

'Oh! Merlin!' Harry exclaimed. He took the picture and talked to the couple, 'You can hear me, right?'

The Snapes nodded.

'Do you know where you are? Where the real you are?' Harry asked.

James was quite impressed, but the Snapes shook their heads.

'Drat!' Harry sighed.

'Harry, if Snape is such a good spy, he might have a refuge where they could have gone,' James suggested.

The Severus in the photo wasn't ready to trust "Potter" and a Muggle he didn't know; Harry had to explain why they were looking for them before Severus agreed to give Harry a clue. The Wizarding photo of Severus Snape told Harry that he still owned his parents' house, and he added that Narcissa Malfoy knew where it was. It took a bit of time since Harry had to read Severus's lips, and he was no expert.

'All right, let's go use my computers to look for them, and then you can follow the Malfoy lead,' James said.

Harry nodded. He placed the Snapes' picture on his desk, pocketed the marriage certificate, and then they were off to the Muggle police station where James worked.

.

.

After lunch, Severus only managed to convince Hermione not to tire herself with domestic tasks by showing her one of his precious books about potions. She was so happy to have the opportunity to read an excellent book on a topic she loved (a first since she'd been on the run with Harry), that she settled in the dusty old chair in the corner of the sitting room.

Severus picked up a book and settled at her feet; he ended up with his head resting against her knee.

After reading only one chapter, Severus decided that the soft skin against his cheek was more interesting than his book. He analytically reflected that he'd been brought back to life, he was still rather young, he was married to a lovely woman, and the last time he'd had non-solitary activity in bed was with his now wife (and that was months ago). As well, he'd never had feelings for the other women he'd bedded, and Hermione, though inexperienced, was a very nice lover.

One part of Severus's anatomy decided that it wanted to check that _everything_ was working.

He kissed Hermione's knee and asked, 'Cup of tea?'

Engrossed in her reading, she answered, 'No, thank you.'

'I wasn't talking about tea,' he pointed out with a chuckle.

She blinked, blushed madly, and closed the book.

'Oh… cup of _tea_,' she said.

He hummed and nodded, as he caressed her calf.

'Yes… Definitely, if you're not tired,' she said.

He stood up and held out his hand; she took it and blushed again.

'Our bed sounds like the most comfortable option for the moment,' he said.

She nodded.

He was about to take one step towards their bedroom when she exclaimed, 'Oh, God! We can't have tea!'

He blinked once and asked, 'Why?'

'Well, we can, but… The first time we had _tea_, I was taking a potion. Now, I could… I could…' she explained.

'Oh.'

'It's not that I don't want tea. I quite like tea… But until we know for sure what's going on with our magic, it would be irresponsible, don't you think?' she said.

He caressed her cheek and asked, 'When is the last time you took that potion?'

'A fortnight ago,' she said, looking at the floor.

He held her and said, 'With the Death Eaters, I don't blame you for having planned for the worse. If they'd won the war, they would have…'

He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. In Wizarding or Muggle wars, rape had often been the weapon of the victors.

'Oh!' she exclaimed.

'If you brewed your own potion, as I suspect you did, we can have tea without being afraid of unwanted _consequences_ for another fortnight,' he pointed out. 'Besides, we have time to plan… starting a family.'

'You'd like that?' she asked with a small voice.

He gently took her chin in his hand and encouraged her to look at him. 'I don't like most of my pupils because they don't pay attention, but it'd be different if a child were ours. We can try to have one in a few years, once you've got a job that you like, and when you feel ready,' he said.

Her smile was so bright that he leant closer and gave her a kiss.

'I think we were talking about tea,' she said.

He smiled and nodded.

Sharing kisses every few steps, they went to their bedroom.

.

.

Once in their room, they undressed each other. It didn't take them long to get rid of her blouse and skirt, his shirt and trousers, and their respective underwear.

Severus chuckled.

'What?' she asked with a small smile.

'I was just thinking that I might have to marry you the Muggle way if our magic doesn't come back as fast as I hope,' he explained.

'Not funny!' she complained.

'Sorry, my soul,' he said.

He was quite surprised to have given her such a pet-name, but when it earned him the hottest kiss that they'd shared that day, he didn't regret his first attempt at being romantic.

Now that they were skin to skin, he felt very, very alive.

He guided her towards their bed, and they sat on it. Their love was fuelled by months of abstinence and the raw fear that they'd lost each other for good in this life; their kisses and caresses became more demanding, hungry.

She lay down and invited him to follow her, which he did. They were side by side, and their hands were exploring a territory they'd touched only once; a gift that they'd thought would be a one-time miracle, and that they could repeat as often as they wished now.

Hermione noticed that her husband seemed to be focussing on two areas.

'Severus?'

Still caressing her right ribs and hipbone in turn, he murmured, 'You've lost so much weight.'

'I'm sorry,' she apologized.

'No, _I'm_ sorry. You shouldn't have had to fight in the war,' he said.

With one finger, she counted his left ribs, and then she tickled his hipbone.

'Brewing many potions, and then attempting to help in the war may have had a few consequences on me as well,' he admitted reluctantly.

'As long as we're healthy,' she said.

He nodded and resumed his explorations.

Soon, his lips joined the fun, and Hermione melted under the attentions, which truly delighted her husband.

.

.

[Fades to black]

.

.

When she trembled under him and came, he remembered all the things that made his wife an extraordinary witch, and the best possible match for him. He pictured them, living a long life together, and with the conviction that he'd never be alone again, he surrendered to his own body, coming harder than he ever had before.

He almost collapsed on her, but he managed to roll onto his side.

Still panting, he looked at his so young wife, who was such an extraordinary lady, and who was probably the only one who'd ever seen who he really was.

She smiled at him and kissed him.

'I think I could get addicted to tea,' she confessed.

'Well, we have time now, and there are many varieties of tea,' he said saucily.

She turned to rest half on him, and hiding her face in the crook of his neck, she whispered, 'I love you so much.'

He held her and kissed her shoulder.

Within a minute, both were asleep.

They'd wake up around dinner-time. Then, they'd eat a quick meal before returning to bed for… more tea.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	15. Chapter 15

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

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DCI Nettle was extremely efficient, and by the end of the afternoon, he had all his colleagues north of London up to the northern coast of Scotland looking for Professor and Mrs Severus Snape. He'd also asked a young sergeant, who was new in town, to look for the house that Severus had inherited from his parents.

At one point, the sergeant, Lucy Bond, started wondering why James was talking to Harry as if he were training him, not just helping him find missing friends. She asked her superior what was going on.

'I'm doing both, Lucy. I'm helping and training him,' James admitted.

She looked terribly puzzled.

James smiled and said, 'Harry's working for another agency.'

'But look at him! Just how young is he?' she inquired.

'Quite young. Much younger than you, but just as promising,' James declared.

Lucy blushed and went back to her desk to call other departments in order to try to locate the house.

'James, how will I contact you? I need to go look for the Malfoys now. I haven't seen them since right after the battle,' Harry said.

'You can come see me home, and you'll find me here, as well. Now, you know, my wife has a mobile, and I can contact her easily that way,' James pointed out. 'Well, it didn't work while she had the house _protected_, and of course, you might be spending more time than her in areas where the mobile might not work,' he added.

'A mobile… I might have to learn a few Muggle things,' Harry declared.

James smiled and gave Harry one of his cards, one on which he'd added his home number. 'Now, you can join me anytime,' he said.

'Do you know where I can find a mobile?' Harry inquired.

'You really don't have a mobile?' one of James's colleagues asked Harry.

'No, my blood relatives weren't keen on modern technology, and my legal guardian doesn't need one. Conclusion, I need to invest in one,' Harry answered good-naturedly.

The other police officer shrugged and left his desk to go get a cup of tea.

'He's glued to his mobile,' James whispered to Harry, who smiled.

'Tell me… Is there anything else I can do?' Harry inquired.

'No, I have to wait for Sergeant Bond to find something, and the other stations to start responding to my enquiry. Go buy a phone, you'll find shops for that down the street, and find the Malfoys. You might even find the Snapes before I do,' James declared.

'I hope you're right,' Harry murmured.

'Is there a way my wife can contact you if I find something before you have the means to call me?' James asked very softly.

'Are you connected to the Floo Network?' Harry inquired.

'We were… Before you know what,' James answered.

'I don't know how long it'll take for you to have it reconnected, but it's either that or the Owl Post,' Harry said.

James took his phone and called his wife. Fortunately, she'd headed to her home with her parents, and now she was in a zone that allowed her mobile to work. He asked her how long it'd take them to have the Floo working again, and she answered that it'd probably take a week; the Ministry had a lot of work to do, and not enough personnel to do it. Henrietta added that the closest Owl Posts weren't always open.

James shared the bad news with Harry.

'Maybe I can do something at the Ministry. It'd help me if I were able to reach you, even when I'm in Hogwarts. May I?' Harry asked.

'By all means. This case should be rather easy, but…' James began to say.

'There's something that tells you that we must find them as fast as possible,' Harry said.

James nodded.

'Somehow, I'm glad that I'm not being paranoid, but it's frightening me,' Harry declared.

'You'll be a good Auror, Harry,' James whispered.

Harry smiled and said, 'I'll go shopping. As soon as I have a phone, I'll call you before heading to the Ministry.'

James shook hands with Harry and promised him to do his best to locate the Snapes. Then, Harry left the station and walked into the first shop he saw that sold phones. The young wizard was completely lost, but he was in luck; one of the shop attendants decided to take care of him. She might have had some hidden agenda, because it was obvious that she found Harry entirely too cute.

'What can I do for you?' she asked.

Her name-tag read "Kate".

Harry smiled at her and said, 'I need a phone badly, but I never had one, and I wouldn't know how to use it.'

'What do you need to do with it?' Kate asked.

Harry decided that the truth might bring some sympathy. 'Well, I've got a new job at the Ministry, and I've been ordered to find two of my friends who have disappeared. I need to be able to contact the police officer who's working with me on that case,' he explained.

There was no real need to say that he was working for the Ministry of _Magic_.

Kate gasped. 'Didn't your boss give you a Ministry-issued mobile?' she inquired.

Harry shook his head, and just like he'd done with the policeman who'd introduced him to James, he tried to look lost, cute and in dire need of help.

Kate showed him a few models that could suit Harry, and he made up his mind.

'Er… Kate, it's my employer who's going to pay for the phone and the package. How do I proceed?' Harry asked.

Kate showed him the papers that needed to be filled out.

'I could take those back to my office and bring them back to you,' Harry said.

'Tell you what, if you promise to be back before seven, I'll wait for you, and I'll have your phone packed. Your colleague won't be able to call you before it's charged sometime tomorrow, but you can give him your number,' she said.

'Thank you!' he exclaimed.

'If you want to thank me, maybe we could go to the pub when you get back,' Kate said softly. She didn't want her colleagues to overhear her.

'Oh…' Harry said. Kate was about to apologize and tell him that she understood, but Harry spoke first, 'The couple I'm looking for… Hermione is a dear friend, the closest thing I'll ever have to a sister, and I'm very afraid for her. I've got a lead that I _must_ follow tonight, but… once I've found them, I'd love to go to a pub with you.'

Kate beamed at him. 'Really? Isn't there a pretty girlfriend who's going to try to claw my eyes out?' she asked.

'There was someone, but it's been over for months, and she's been awful to Hermione,' Harry said.

'Why?' Kate wondered.

'Hermione fell in love with someone older, and a bloke who's a bit harsh. A few of our former friends have been really nasty,' Harry explained.

Kate looked ready to hug Harry. She gave him all the paperwork that she needed him to get filled out and returned to her, and Harry promised to be back as fast as possible.

As soon as Harry could hide in a quiet street, he Disapparated to the main entrance of the Ministry. He jogged to Adelaide Groops, who was still working, and he explained that he needed someone in the Accounting Department to help him with the bumph for his phone.

'The accountants tend to leave early; I'm sorry. However, if you really want to go back to the shop now, you can try the Emergency Department; they deal with anything and everything,' Adelaide explained.

'All right, where is it?' he asked.

She began to give him indications that puzzled him more than they helped.

'Oh… You don't know the building and all our departments yet,' she said. 'Wait, I have exactly what you need,' she added. She handed him a map of the Ministry and said, 'This is not the one we give to the visitors, this map will show you how to reach each and every department in the building. You just have to wrap it around your wand and say the name of the department you want, or the name of the agent you want to see, or even the name of a file that you need. There's a spell in the parchment that will activate and a bead of light will appear at the tip of your wand. Red, you're in the wrong direction, blue is fine,' Adelaide explained.

Harry wrapped the map around his wand and asked for the Emergency Department. He moved his wand until the tip turned blue.

'Thanks a lot, Mrs Groops!' Harry said.

'You're welcome, Auror Potter,' she answered warmly.

Harry was walking away, following the magical indication, when he turned around and asked, 'Can I use this map as many times as I want, or is there a maximum number of searches?'

'It'll work until the parchment falls apart, but I think you'll know the building inside out long before that,' she answered.

Harry smiled, thanked her again, and nearly ran towards the department he needed. Once there, he met an old wizard who helped him fill out the file in a way so that the Muggle phone shop would be able to send the bills to the Ministry of Magic. Harry also had the Floo reconnected at the Nettles' home.

'Will that be all, Auror Potter?' the old wizard asked him kindly.

'Well, I don't think we have a Muggle plug in here,' Harry said.

The old wizard shook his head and said, 'You know, it's a pity it's not a wizarding radio.'

'Why?' Harry asked.

'Because you charge the batteries with a spell about once a month. It'd be easier for you. With this phone, you'll have to find a Muggle plug to charge it,' the old wizard explained.

When Harry Disapparated from the Emergency Department to go back to the quiet street right behind the shop, a strange and mad idea was coming to Harry's mind.

Kate was quite surprised to see Harry come back so fast, and he said that he met a few colleagues who'd helped him, which wasn't a lie (he just skipped the Apparition part).

'One last thing for today. Is it insured? In my line of work, a lot can happen,' he said.

'All professional packages are insured. If it's stolen or damaged, you're covered,' Kate said. 'Will you need anything else?'

'It depends. When I'm free to invite you, do you want me to come here, or to phone you?' Harry asked.

Kate beamed and gave him her phone number.

Harry put the piece of paper in his back-pocket, with the map of the Ministry. He excused himself and left to Disapparate back to the Ministry; from there, he Floo'ed to Hogwarts.

He was aiming for Minerva's office, but he ended up in the Staff room.

'Is there a problem in Min's office?' he asked Professor Flitwick, who was sitting at the staff table right in front of the fireplace that spat him.

'Absolutely not, but the castle and the house-elves are repairing the damage caused by the battle. Maybe you hit a wave of magic in the Floo,' Filius suggested.

'Oh… All right. Tell me, Filius, what's the spell to charge radio batteries?' Harry inquired.

The Charms teacher showed him the spell.

Harry mentally crossed his fingers (and everything that was crossable) that he wouldn't have to go back to the phone shop tomorrow in the morning, but he needed to have it working _with_ magic and with magic _around_.

Before trying to activate it, Harry cast the strongest Protection spell that he knew on the Muggle item.

The mobile didn't explode.

Filius was observing Harry. It was as if Filius knew that something big, something huge was happening right then.

Harry plugged the device that would allow the mobile to charge if there were a Muggle plug around. Then, he kept crossing everything and he cast the spell for Wizarding batteries.

The mobile still didn't explode… and it was instantly fully charged. There was just one more thing to try now… Use it.

Harry dialled James's number, and it worked. Harry gave him his new Muggle phone number and told him his family could use the Floo Network, and James informed him that Sergeant Bond had located ten houses belonging to Snape families; they hoped that one of them might be Severus's. She'd check the owners first thing in the morning.

Harry thanked James; he had the feeling that they were getting closer to finding the Snapes.

After his call, Harry noticed that Filius was looking at him with misty eyes.

'We're going to find them very soon; don't worry,' Harry said.

'I know, Harry. It's not that. Do you understand how extraordinary what you've just done is?' he inquired.

Harry blinked.

'You've found the _first_ working combination between Muggle technology and spells,' Filius explained excitedly.

Harry found Filius's reaction entirely too cute, but he didn't realize yet how important his idea would be in the future. He'd instinctively found the one thing that would revolutionize the entire Wizarding community.

'You should patent this,' Filius declared.

Harry shrugged and said, 'I have other fish to fry. I must keep looking for Hermione and Severus, and I have to try to locate the Malfoys. By the way, I'll try to find Draco. See you later; tell Min I'll try not to be too late for dinner.'

'All right, Harry,' Filius said. 'I could take care of the patent for you, you know,' he added.

Harry's mind was already working on something else, and he didn't even register what Filius was suggesting when he simply nodded.

Filius, who knew where the Emergency Department was at the Ministry, Floo'ed there directly, and he had a Wizarding patent registered in Harry's name within ten minutes.

By then, Harry was in front of the "door" to the Slytherin Common room; for the second time he'd found the bare, damp stone wall where he stood about five years ago when looking for the one who was petrifying people in the school.

When Harry realized that the old password no longer worked, he decided to try something. He took his Auror badge from his pocket and said, 'Auror Potter, I need to see Draco Malfoy.'

The wall seemed to shiver, and something in the magic of the castle acknowledged Harry's authority. The concealed door slid open, allowing Harry in. He used a Sticking charm to make his badge stay on his cardigan; Harry didn't know the exact procedure yet, but since he'd identified himself as an Auror, he decided that it might be good to do like the Muggle police officers he'd seen on the telly when he was still at the Dursleys'.

There were a few Slytherins in the common room, chatting and reading books. They all looked afraid when they noticed Harry.

He smiled brightly and said warmly, 'Good evening, I need to see Draco. He and his family might know something that could help me find the Snapes.'

The students traded looks, and one of them went towards the dorms.

Harry was trying to find something to talk about when it hit him like a ton of bricks, and he realized that he was surrounded with students who had been Severus's charges for years, and they might know where to find his house.

Harry paled and sat down heavily on a green leather sofa.

'Harry?' a seventh-year wizard said.

'Dear God! I've just realized that you guys must know a lot about Severus. I should have come see you first!' Harry gasped.

The other wizard sat down next to Harry, chuckled and asked, 'Did you know a lot of things about your guardian before she rescued you?'

Harry blinked.

Hogwarts teachers all tended to keep their private lives to themselves; Severus Snape even more so.

'Auror Potter?' Draco said from behind Harry.

Harry turned around; Draco was dreadfully pale, as if he were prepared to be arrested and sent to Azkaban without trial.

'Don't be stupid, Malfoy. I bet I could punch you in the nose and hex your father to the next millennium, but your mother contributed to the end of the war directly. Now, I need to contact your parents because, to make things short, a wizarding picture of Severus has hinted that your mother knows where his house is. I'm not even sure I'll find them there, but I've got to try,' Harry said.

Draco sighed with relief, and then he said, 'My parents didn't know how they'd be treated after the end of the war and the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They've left the country. I can send them a message and come see you when I have their answer.'

'Be quick. Severus and Hermione might well be in danger,' Harry said.

'He saved me so many times,' Draco whispered sadly.

'Same here, Malfoy. It's time we do something for him,' Harry said.

'And for Granger,' the seventh-year wizard next to Harry on the sofa said.

'She brought him back to life, and they bonded,' Harry said.

'They make a good match… if a strange one,' Draco admitted.

Harry chuckled sadly.

'Potter?' Draco said.

'Ron and Ginny were awful when we discovered what Hermione had done, and you, you're being nice,' Harry said to explain his reaction.

'I wanted fame, power and money, but I would never have taken the Dark Mark of my own free will after meeting the Dark Lord,' Draco said.

'But you were trapped,' Harry stated.

Draco nodded.

'Help me find the Snapes,' Harry told Draco.

Draco nodded. 'I'll go contact my parents. You'll be staying here with Headmistress McGonagall, won't you?' he asked.

'Yes, I have some more work to do… and a manual to learn by heart,' Harry answered.

'I'll come see you when I have an answer,' Draco said. He was near the door to the outside corridor when he turned around and said, 'And congratulations, Auror Potter! You have found the perfect job for you.'

Harry resorted to Legilimency, and he saw that Draco was being sincere. 'Thanks, Draco. You'll find something that you'll like, too,' Harry said.

Draco left without another word.

The wizard next to Harry whispered, 'We heard that he might have to repeat this year.'

'If it'll make him a better wizard, he'll do it,' Harry said. He grinned and added, 'What would be fun is if Severus told his wife to sit for her NEWTs and she had to compete with Draco!'

The Slytherins had to chuckle at that.

Since Harry could do nothing more for the moment, he went back to his room and worked on Lihar's wand and started reading the Auror manual.

When dinner began, Minerva sent a house-elf to wizard-nap Harry.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	16. Chapter 16

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'Ah! There you are,' Minerva said when Harry was brought by magic to the High table.

'Thanks, Min, but I'd have come without help,' Harry said.

He winked at the house-elf, and then he pecked Minerva's cheek.

She hummed, pretending to be unconvinced.

'I won't stay long, but I'm starving, and I know it won't help if I go hungry,' Harry said.

'And you're still growing,' Minerva teased her charge.

Harry groaned and sat down.

'Filius gave me your patent. I stored it in our safe, not the one that's in my office,' Minerva said.

'What did you invent?' Irma inquired.

Harry explained what he'd done to make the mobile work, and his former teachers were all very impressed.

Dinner was very nice, even if Harry seemed to gulp down most of his food.

'Irma, do you have Muggle books about computers?' Harry asked before pudding.

'No, the Muggle Studies teacher is usually the one who has Muggle books, and I'm not sure I ever saw any of them with books about computers. I'm sorry,' Irma answered.

'It's okay; I think I'll go back to see Kate. I noticed that there are laptops in the shop where she works. If my spells worked on the mobile, they might work on a computer, as well,' Harry said. 'I'm not going to try it until I've found Hermione and Severus, though,' he added softly.

'And you'll need Hermione and a book or two to help you, won't you?' Minerva said.

'I'll need Hermione, Kate, and a book or thirty,' Harry said.

'What would you do with a computer? Wizarding people don't need computers,' one of the new teachers, one whom Harry didn't know, said.

'We're just a fraction of the world. I can use Muggle information, and if I can use the Internet, then there might be possibilities to connect with other Aurors,' Harry explained.

The new teacher didn't seem convinced that Harry's idea might do anything good. Harry saw the teacher's reaction, and he didn't care; he'd decided that it was a good idea, and he'd buy a computer for the Ministry (if he still had a job after finding the Snapes).

Right after his (very quick) dinner, Harry headed home to read a few more things and theories about spells (things that might help him find a way to repeat the Portkey spell used by Lihar to send Hermione and Severus "up north"). He read the first chapters of his Auror manual, too.

He was reading that when Minerva arrived home after a long day of work, and she growled at Harry to go get some sleep.

Harry obeyed her.

There was something bugging Harry as he went to bed. It was something that he knew he was missing… some clue about Hermione and Severus… something that could help him.

In the middle of the night, Harry woke up with a start. He felt like banging his head on the wall or hitting himself on the head with a poker. He'd completely forgotten to check Severus's professional file; it might contain a _home_ address.

Harry put on his clothes and decided to go pay a visit to Minerva's office.

Once he was in front of the Wizarding guardian, he said, 'Hermione.'

He walked into the Head office, the last place in which he'd seen Hermione before she went to rescue her lover.

Harry sighed deeply when he realized that he didn't know where he could find the information that he needed.

'What do you need?' Minerva inquired.

Harry swirled to face her and said, 'Hell, Min! I could have hexed you to the next millennium!'

'You must have felt it was me,' she declared quietly.

Harry sighed.

She grinned.

'Cheshire-Cat!' Harry said.

'I transformed to follow you,' she said to keep teasing him.

Harry pouted, but she was unfazed.

'All right,' he said with another sigh. 'The thing is, I need to find where Severus lived outside of Hogwarts. If Lihar sent them close to his house, they might have found a way to go there,' he explained.

'Oh, Merlin!' Minerva exclaimed as she rushed to a cabinet.

Harry followed her.

'I was so afraid not to be able to do what Kingsley wants me to do that I didn't react when you said they've been sent to the north. I don't remember where he's from exactly, but Severus is from a place south of the Scottish border,' she said.

She opened the folder with the teachers' references.

'Drat!' she growled.

'Problem?" Harry asked.

'Severus's file is missing,' she said.

'He might have taken it himself for protection,' Harry pointed out.

She nodded and summoned the students' files, but Severus had cleaned everything.

'I'll go to the Ministry. He can't have made his file disappear from there,' Harry said.

'Don't be too long, and Floo back home soon,' Minerva said.

'I will,' Harry promised obediently.

He knew that she knew that he had an important job to do (and he would do it, even if it took him the rest of the night), but it felt good to have someone who cared about him and who was expecting him to come home regularly (and in one piece).

Harry went back to the Emergency Department.

'I'm very sorry to disturb you so late,' Harry apologized to the wizard who was on duty there.

The wizard, who looked in his forties, chuckled and said, 'Don't worry, Potter. New Aurors are always enthusiastic in the beginning. I bet that within a month, you'll stop working after tea time, like most civil servants.'

Harry completely disliked the man for implying that he'd do his job poorly (and for implying that all the Aurors, which included close friends and his parents, did that, too). He wanted to punch the other wizard, or something, but he knew that that was a terrible idea. He knew that he'd need time to devise the best action to prove to that man how wrong he was (perhaps something like finding his schedule and coming to see him with odd requests for months).

Harry tried to be as bubbly as the average Albus Dumbledore high on sugar, and he just said, 'We'll see.'

'Well, what can I do for you now?' the wizard inquired.

'I need a copy of Severus Snape's file,' Harry said.

'Which one?' the man asked.

'Everything you've got,' Harry said.

The wizard whistled and said, 'Are you sure? That's a lot of parchment.'

'If you find the spell too difficult to cast, I can do it. All you have to do is tell me where to go,' Harry declared neutrally.

Harry's voice was so flat that the other wizard didn't know what to make of it.

'No… No, I'll do it, but that's really a lot to read, just to look for a follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,' the wizard pointed out.

'Hermione Snape was abducted with her husband, a man who's been _spying_ for Albus Dumbledore for years, and – if I'm not mistaken – who was never convicted of being an active Death Eater,' Harry said, coldly this time.

The wizard sent an order to a Ministry house-elf to go make copies of Severus's files in the various archives.

'I know that you'd probably rather keep listening to the radio and reading your fish-wrap,' Harry said, 'but I'd like you to do one thing for me. The next time you're tempted to disparage Professor Snape, you'll keep in mind that without that man, I'd have died several times after being told that I'm a wizard. Without him, Voldemort would have managed to kill me during the last battle, and real Death Eaters would be torturing you and your family.'

With that, Harry seriously chilled the mood.

'How… How did you know what I was doing when you arrived?' the wizard inquired in a gasp.

'I'm not deaf; I heard the music on my way here, and my Healer treated my eyes, so I can see that you're sitting on your copy of the _Daily Prophet_,' Harry explained.

'You're quite extraordinary,' the wizard said, making a complete turnabout about Harry.

Harry groaned and said, '_No_, I'm just a bloke who's very worried about his best friend and her husband. I'm just trying to do the job that Minister Shacklebolt gave me.'

A house-elf with a wooden crate half as big as a standard Hogwarts trunk arrived with a copy of the files that Harry had requested. The crate was floating, thanks to a spell, and the elf gave it to Harry.

'Now, I've got to go read this,' Harry said. 'I'm sure we'll meet again. Good night!' with those words, Harry left the Emergency Department.

He didn't know if he could leave the Ministry with the files; therefore he went to his office.

In the crate, there were Severus's Hogwarts files (as a pupil, a teacher, and the Head); there was his trial file, too.

Harry browsed the files, looking for Severus's home address, but it turned out that it had been erased.

'Bloody spy! I'll let Hermione deal with him for being too good at covering his tracks!' Harry growled.

He was back to square minus one.

Harry saw that there was Severus's entire life in those files, and he wanted to learn more about Hermione's husband (and Lily Evans's friend). He cast a Protection spell on the crate and left it on his desk, before Floo'ing back to Minerva's quarters.

Harry went back to bed. He was falling asleep again when he realized that there was something off with the Malfoys. Narcissa had risked her life to get to her son, and apparently Lucius had done the same, but Draco had told Harry that they'd fled and left the country… without Draco. That sounded… weird, stupid and more and more fishy.

By then, dawn was close, and Harry got dressed again and went towards the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

Harry was reaching the last corridor when he heard footsteps, but saw no one.

'Who's there?' Harry called.

No one answered.

'_Accio_ cloak,' Harry said.

Draco's Invisibility cloak flew to him.

'Don't tell me; your parents are hiding in the Room of Requirement,' Harry told Draco.

Draco nodded. 'Mother wanted to come help you find Professor Snape, but Father is too afraid that she'd be captured and executed,' he explained. 'She's told me where his house is.'

'I would have protected her,' Harry declared with a deep sigh.

'Even Father trusts you. It's the others he doesn't trust,' Draco explained. He held his hand out and asked, 'May I have my cloak back?'

'I should hand it over to your new Headmistress, but I'm going to trust you,' Harry said, as he gave back the cloak.

'Thank you, Potter. Father would slowly dice me if I were to lose that cloak,' Draco said.

'They're pretty expensive… even for Malfoys,' Harry declared.

'How do you know?' Draco inquired.

'I inherited one,' Harry said. 'So… Severus's address?' he asked.

Harry didn't know if the Deathly Hallows were well-known in the Wizarding community, but he didn't want to risk people knowing that he found himself in possession of the three of them. He might tell Hermione, mostly because she'd find the best way to hide the Resurrection stone.

'Mother said that he always had very strong wards on his old house because it made a great hiding place. No one was ever able to Apparate close to his place. I can tell you where to aim, and what to look for once you reach the small town where he grew up,' Draco said.

Harry's eyes bulged suddenly.

'Potter?' Draco said worriedly.

'I'm the biggest idiot of the decade!' Harry said.

'Why are you so modest?' Draco teased his former enemy.

Harry laughed heartily and said, 'My aunt told my cousin about the freak that my mother had befriended. I completely forgot about that, and I must be the biggest idiot of the century.'

Draco gave Harry a small smile. 'Do you want me to go with you?' Draco asked.

'No,' Harry answered.

'I could help you,' Draco protested.

'You helped a lot by finding indications to reach Snape's house, but you're still a Hogwarts student, and I bet you don't want to be expelled. Besides, I can't allow you to endanger yourself,' Harry said.

'I can take care of myself, Potter,' Draco almost growled.

'Sorry, mate, but it's _my_ job to make sure that you're safe. You'll stay here. Now, tell me how to find the house,' Harry said.

Draco gave Harry the instructions that Narcissa had shared.

'Now, go back to bed,' Harry ordered.

'Yes, mother-hen,' Draco teased Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes.

'If you need _anything_ to help them, send me an elf,' Draco said.

'I will,' Harry promised.

'Good luck, Potter,' Draco said.

Harry nodded and jogged outside to reach the gates and Disapparate from there.

Draco was about to enter the Slytherin house when Minerva came out of the shadows and stopped him.

'I'm sorry, Ma'am,' Draco apologized.

'You're going to tell your parents that they can stay here freely. They have my protection, and I'll contact our new Minister to make sure that they're safe,' she said.

Draco beamed at her.

'Now, there's the question of house points, Mr Malfoy,' she said.

Draco paled; he remembered vividly the night he'd lost fifty points for being out after curfew.

'It'll be twenty points to Slytherin, for loyalty and courage,' she said.

Draco recovered instantly and beamed at Minerva.

'Thank you, Headmistress!' he said.

'And now, to bed, Mr Malfoy,' she said.

He obeyed her, and she went to her office.

.

.

Once outside the gates of Hogwarts, Harry was breathless, frightened and tired. He aimed for the riverbank where Narcissa always Apparated when she wanted to visit Severus, but Harry missed that spot.

Auror Harry Potter Apparated near a bridge. A bridge where a homeless man and his dog both woke up with a start.

Max didn't bark at Harry, which told Tommy that he could trust the young man.

'Were you attacked, like Deacon Snape and his daughter?' Tommy asked sleepily.

'Do you know Severus and Hermione?' Harry asked.

'Yes, I do,' Tommy said.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	17. Chapter 17

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'Can you tell me what happened? I've been looking for them since they were abducted,' Harry said.

'Abducted! How terrible! They were thrown over the bridge down here, right where you are,' Tommy said.

Tommy explained what he did for the Snapes, and how Father McKenzie drove them home.

'Do you know how to reach Spinner's End?' Harry asked.

'It's a bit far from here for me. I'm too old for such a trek, but I can give you directions, or you could wait for Father McKenzie; he'll be here soon, and he can drive you to your friends,' Tommy said.

'I understand that you'd rather stay here, Sir, but if you can tell me how to get to their house, I'd rather go now. I'm really worried,' Harry said, as he scratched Max's ear.

Tommy smiled and told Harry how to reach Spinner's End.

'Is there something that I can bring you to thank you, after I've helped my friends?' Harry asked.

'There's no need,' Tommy said.

'I'd _really_ like to thank you. Hermione and Severus might have died without your help; they weren't too well when they were taken,' Harry said.

Tommy shook his head.

'Something for Max?' Harry suggested.

Tommy looked at his dog and then at Harry, and he nodded.

Harry smiled and said, 'I'll find something.'

He held out his hand, and Tommy was so surprised that it took him a second to shake hands with Harry; usually, people avoided contact with him.

.

.

Harry was reaching Spinner's End when Kreacher appeared next to him.

'Kreacher? How did you find me?' Harry said.

'There's one of us following you,' Kreacher explained.

Another elf revealed herself. 'The Headmistress McGonagall asked me to protect and help the Auror Harry Potter,' she said.

'Thank you…' Harry's voice trailed off. 'What's your name?' he asked.

'Weniers,' she answered.

'Thank you, Weniers,' Harry said. He turned to Kreacher again and asked, 'What are you doing here?'

'Severus Snape's magic is back. We felt him use magic a few minutes ago,' Kreacher said.

'Where is he? Is he in his house?' Harry inquired.

Kreacher fluttered his fingers and answered, 'Yes, he's down the street.'

'What about Hermione's magic?' Harry asked.

Kreacher shook his head.

Harry sighed and started running towards the last house down the street.

Kreacher and Weniers jogged after him.

.

.

The Snapes woke up very early.

Severus had been a spy for too long (and working in a boarding school as a head of house didn't allow him to sleep much during the school year, even before Voldemort came back).

Hermione had spent the last year on the run, and it'd take her a few weeks or months until she was able to sleep long nights without feeling that she had to get up in order to make sure that she was still safe.

'I'll go make breakfast, and you can stay in bed,' Severus said.

'_We'll_ go make breakfast,' she growled.

'I'm already rubbing off on you, dearest,' Severus said with a wide smile.

She blushed and glared at him.

He laughed softly and said, 'Who's being saucy now?'

She kept glaring.

'We can slow down on _tea_, if you want,' he said.

'That's not what I want, and I'm ready to bet that it's not what you want either,' she protested. 'And you're the saucy one!' she growled.

He smiled at her, and that made her heart melt.

She got up and felt dizzy.

'Are you all right?' he asked worriedly.

She looked at him, frowned, and then she exclaimed, 'Oh! I think I might be having my monthly surprise.'

'Just that?' he asked worriedly. 'What you did to bring me back could have strange consequences for you,' he pointed out.

She shook her head and said, 'No, it's just that I'm not a Swiss clock, and it's about the right time frame.'

'Are you sure?' he asked.

'Almost… I'll go to the bathroom, but usually, I feel a tiny bit dizzy just before it happens,' she explained.

'Odd,' he commented.

'There are so many symptoms that are weirder than what happens to me,' she said.

'Really?' he inquired.

'I imagine that your mother never talked about this with you. I've seen my mother being sick and in pain once a month all my life, one of our Muggle neighbours has cravings as if she were pregnant, and the gals in my dorm all had different symptoms,' she said.

'I'm glad you're not sick like your mother,' he gently said.

She smiled and went down to the bathroom. He was anxiously waiting on the other side of the door.

She joined him and said, 'I was right.'

Not knowing just how biologically wrong he was, Severus said, 'At least, when that happens we won't have to worry about consequences because of tea.'

'Won't you mind having tea then?' she asked.

'Not at all, but if you don't like the idea, I can wait,' he said.

'I don't think I'll mind. We can try later… After breakfast anyway, because I'd really like some actual tea,' she said.

They made breakfast together.

They were sitting at the kitchen table when she asked, 'Do you have a few old towels that I could use?'

'What for?' a clueless Severus inquired.

'Sanitary towels. I did something that won't last long,' she explained.

'What do you do usually?' he asked.

'Usually, I use a magical pad that must be in my bag, the one I left in Hogwarts,' she said.

'What do Muggles do?' he went on.

'They buy disposable sanitary towels,' she explained.

'I could go buy you some… if you tell me what to look for,' he suggested.

'Well, I have a bit of money, but it's really not much, and perhaps we should save it,' she said.

'I have a hundred pounds hidden in the books. I don't know how much such things cost, but I think it would be enough, wouldn't it?' he said.

'It's more than enough,' she said with a bright smile.

'Then you'll tell me what to buy, and I'll go to the Indian grocer's in town. Mr Singh's shop will be open by the time I reach it,' he said.

'I could go with you,' she said.

'Let's make a deal. I go shopping, and you'll do the dishes,' he said.

'Perfect!' she exclaimed.

Severus smiled.

Hermione looked at him and growled, 'In fact, you hate doing the dishes!'

'Caught red-handed,' he admitted good-naturedly.

'All right… I wash, you dry,' she said.

'We have an agreement, Mrs Snape,' he said.

'You can be such a brat,' she retorted.

There was so much warmth in her voice and in her eyes that Severus would have suggested _tea_, right there, right then… if his wife hadn't been in need of some unexpected Muggle shopping.

She saw it in his eyes and blushed.

She explained what she needed, and he bathed, got dressed and was ready to go.

'I'll be gone about thirty minutes,' he said.

.

.

After going home with her tail between her legs, Mrs McKenzie recovered rather fast. One of her friends came to see her, and the friend sided with Petunia, thinking that the little Snape slut had to be after her friend's respectable son, who was a decent minister, if a too good-hearted and gullible one.

Petunia's friend had good reasons to hate Severus Snape. She was a Muggle, but she'd married a wizard, and their son had gone to Hogwarts. Patrick Curby was a wizard who became a police officer because it was a tradition in his mother's family. Joana Curby never told her family about magic, and she pestered her son to become a Muggle police officer, because being an Auror wasn't something she could have talked about and been proud of.

Joana encouraged Petunia to come home with her for lunch, since the dutiful (and bitter) Patrick would be there. Petunia agreed, because Joana was always fawning over her.

Neither Joana nor Patrick said a word about magic, and they also didn't mention that they knew _Professor_ Severus Snape.

Patrick cajoled Petunia and promised her that he'd see if he could do something and get her some kind of revenge.

Sergeant Patrick Curby went back to his station, where he found the fax that DCI Nettle had sent. Curby had suspected that Hermione wasn't Severus's daughter (even if the Head of Slytherin was the most discreet teacher about his private life, the students were convinced that the nasty Snape wasn't married).

In fact, Patrick Curby was bitter because his mother made him chose a Muggle career in a field he didn't really like, and he'd been such a catastrophe in Potions that he'd never have been allowed to become an Auror trainee for the Ministry of Magic. The way he'd been brought up, Curby couldn't blame his mother, but he could hate the nasty Slytherin who, according to him, had ruined his life.

Patrick Curby was just twenty-six, but he was one extremely bitter man, and he decided to get revenge for what he thought Severus had done to him. He decided to use the arrogant Petunia in his plan.

First, he made the copy of Nettle's fax disappear, and he damaged the fax machine to make sure that no one would be able to get a new copy of the disappearance bulletin and go look for the Snapes.

Then, Curby told Petunia that he'd go confront the little Snape slut because she'd slapped her (that Hermione had just retaliated was unimportant to both Petunia and Curby). He even suggested that he might report the Snapes or even bring the girl to apologize. Petunia was ecstatic.

Curby went on reconnaissance in the evening. He knew the district well, and he knew that if he took his car, the Snapes would hear him coming and would become suspicious. He knew that if there were wards, he wouldn't be able to Apparate; he walked there.

Curby could walk close to the house; he felt the strong wards that Severus had charged again recently, but when he cast a spell to assess if the Snapes were home, he was surprised to discover that the two inhabitants of the house didn't have magic. Curby had just heard about the end of the Wizarding war, and he thought that Snape and his whore must have had some kind of accident, which somehow explained the Police report from Nettle.

Curby decided to come confront the Snapes with a patrol car first thing in the morning before work; that way, no one would ever know at the station.

.

.

Severus was on his way to Mr Singh's shop when Curby's car drove by him.

It took Severus a moment to place the face of the driver. There was no logical explanation, but the fact that Patrick Curby was in a police car going towards their house made Severus rush back home.

.

.

Curby hadn't noticed Severus; he was focussing on his evil plan. He had his wand with him, and he was planning to use a few Unforgivables. He'd start with just enough Cruciatus to have fun and make sure that his Imperius would work on the couple, and then he'd take them to Petunia McKenzie to humiliate them by forcing them to apologize. For good measure, he was planning to Memory-charm them afterwards.

Curby was delighted when he cast a spell and realized that Mrs Snape was alone. He could kidnap her and leave the house empty; that nasty Severus Snape would be devastated. That would teach the Slytherin a lesson.

Curby took his time to walk to the door and bang on it.

'Who is it?' Hermione asked from the other side.

'Police, Mrs Snape. There are people looking for you,' Curby said.

Since he wanted to erase her memory, he might as well tell her a bit of the truth.

Hermione opened the door. 'Really?' she asked.

Curby decided to play nice for the moment. He smiled and said, 'Yes, we received a note from London. Someone's very worried about you. Is Professor Snape home with you?'

She shook her head and said, 'No, he went shopping; he'll be back soon, now.'

'May I come in?' Curby asked.

'Of course,' she said, letting the wolf in.

She closed the door again, while the wizard looked around. He was truly delighted that the man he hated most lived in such an awful and almost derelict place.

'Would you like a cup of tea?' Hermione asked.

'Yes, please,' Curby said.

He wanted to try something, and he needed to have Hermione in another room.

She went to the kitchen, and he cast a simple spell. When she didn't react, he cast a spell that he'd learnt when he still hoped to become an Auror; it was a spell that would prevent Hermione from leaving the house, but that would allow Severus to come into the trap if he really came back soon.

'You can come in the kitchen; it'll be more comfortable,' Hermione shouted from the other room.

Curby joined her.

'Who's looking for us?' she asked him.

'We received a fax from a detective chief inspector in London,' Curby answered.

'Didn't it say who contacted the police to look for us?' she asked, as she kept making tea.

'I think it was a Mr Potter,' Curby said.

Hermione smiled widely. 'Dear Harry,' she said.

The kettle whistled then, and she went to the stove.

As she poured water in the pot, Curby said, 'This is a very small house.'

'Compared with Buckingham Palace, I think you're right,' Hermione said.

She was beginning to get bad vibes about that police officer.

'Why did you bond with Snape?' Curby inquired. 'He's poor, old and a Death Eater,' he added.

'So, you're a wizard,' Hermione said quietly.

Curby took his wand from his sleeve and declared, 'Yes, and your husband's going to pay for what he did to me.'

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	18. Chapter 18

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Hermione knew that she had to escape. She grabbed the teapot by the handle and hit Curby on the head with it.

Hermione ran towards the door and opened it, but she bounced against the spell and fell on the floor in the sitting room. By the time she sat up, she saw Severus running towards the house. Unfortunately, Curby had already healed himself, and he was furious.

Hermione tried to warn Severus about the spell, but Curby cast the Cruciatus on her. She was writhing on the floor when Severus walked into their house. Curby knew that he'd be no match against Severus (even without magic); he stopped torturing Hermione just long enough to petrify Severus and close the door.

'So, Snape, now that you've ruined my life, I'm going to play with your whore,' Curby said.

Hermione, who'd started to recover, kicked Curby's ankle.

Curby cussed and punched Hermione in the face.

'I'm going to hurt you, slut,' Curby spat.

'How courageous to use one of the Unforgivable curses,' Hermione growled.

'The Cruciatus was made legal,' Curby gloated.

'Are you sure someone at the Ministry didn't reinstate the law? Harry ended the war, idiot,' she said. 'Now, free my husband and leave!' she shouted.

Curby was taken aback for a moment, but it didn't last long.

'I don't see Aurors Apparating to your rescue. The Ministry must be in disarray. Think, girl, Potter had to resort to the Muggle police to try to find you two,' Curby said.

Severus groaned at Curby's faulty reasoning; if the Muggles were involved, it was because he and his wife couldn't be located with spells since they'd lost their magic.

'Leave us alone,' Hermione growled.

'Oh, no, girl, I was planning to use the Cruciatus on both of you, but I think that focussing on you will hurt Snape a lot more,' Curby declared.

Severus knew what cowards like Curby could do; he'd sent a lot of wizards and witches like Curby to detentions with Filch. There was nothing worse than a coward who was given power over someone he or she despised – all the more if that person was convinced that he or she would get away with whatever evil plan he or she was devising.

Hermione hadn't seen as many horrors as her husband, but she was no innocent.

Curby cast a silent spell on Hermione.

'What did you do?' she asked.

'I just checked if your _husband_,' Curby spat the word, 'has been using you. I see he was quite enthusiastic.'

Hermione paled because Curby's speech was really beginning to frighten her. He could rape her, kill Severus and make her forget _everything_.

Curby saw her reaction, and it delighted him.

'Before I make you obey me right in front of your husband, I'll have to clean you of all traces of him. I wouldn't want my fluids to mix with his,' Curby announced, just before casting a spell (one that she'd never heard) on Hermione.

Hermione didn't know the spell, but Severus did, and he knew how dangerous it could be; his anger bubbled perilously.

Curby cast the Imperius on Hermione, and he ordered her to strip for him. She was so disgusted that even without magic, she was able to fight the spell, which is something that began to anger Curby.

'_Crucio_!' Curby shouted, channelling his anger and frustration into the spell.

Hermione collapsed. She shouted in pain, even after Curby stopped casting the Cruciatus on her, which wasn't exactly normal.

'Oh, stop it!' Curby yelled.

Hermione was obviously in pain, but Curby thought that she was only pretending.

Severus understood that his Hermione needed help… fast. Something happened to him, and his love for her helped his magic come back. In fact, his magic somehow exploded back inside him, and he was freed from the Binding spell.

With a mere wave of his hand, Severus cast an old spell on Curby (a spell known only to Slytherins, and from which one could be freed exclusively with the right counter-spell); it bound and gagged the rogue wizard.

Severus's burst of raw magic had tired him, but he rushed to Hermione. He knelt next to her and gathered her in his arms.

'Hermione?' he said worriedly.

She gasped, 'I still hurt all over. Something's wrong.'

She looked terrified, and he didn't fare much better (now that he'd found love, his _wife_ was hurt, and it might be quite serious). Severus realized that he couldn't stand losing her, he tried to send a spell to get some help, and he started casting Healing charms on Hermione.

Severus and Hermione lost track of time.

It wasn't five minutes after Severus's magic had come back that Harry reached the house. Weniers annihilated Curby's spell on the house.

Harry rushed inside.

'Severus! Hermione! Dear God! What happened?' Harry asked anxiously.

Severus pointed at Curby and said, 'He attacked us and cast a spell on Hermione. She needs a Healer.'

'Kreacher said that your magic came back. Can you Apparate, Severus?' Harry inquired.

Severus knew that he wasn't strong enough, and he paled as he shook his head.

'Of course! You'd be in St Mungo's already otherwise. I'm sorry, but I'll need a bit more training to reach the logical conclusions faster,' Harry said. He turned to the two house-elves and asked, 'Can you take them to the hospital while I arrest the wizard who attacked them?'

Kreacher and Weniers nodded.

'You can't do that, Harry,' Hermione scolded him between painful gasps.

'I'm very sorry, Mione, but Minister Shacklebolt made me an Auror trainee in order to look for you right after you were abducted from St Mungo's. By the way, you two are married,' Harry said.

'We know we bonded,' the Snapes answered in synch, which made Harry smile.

'Kingsley's the new Minister, and he made you an Auror?' Hermione asked.

'Abducted?' Severus asked.

Harry gave them a quick summary of what happened after they were found.

'You'll have to go see Healer Fille. She's great,' Harry said. He turned to the elves again and added, 'Yell and hex if the personnel doesn't cooperate. Severus and Hermione must be taken to Dyann as soon as you arrive.'

Both elves nodded again.

'_Severus_?' Severus said.

'Get used to it, you're married to my best friend,' Harry said.

'What about Ron?' Hermione asked.

'That arrogant prat is no longer a friend of mine. He, Ginevra and Molly reacted badly to the news that you bonded. Most of the rest of the world is okay with you being together. Min, the Weasley twins, their dad, our new Minister and the Malfoys are particularly supportive,' Harry said.

'Okay… Er… I think I'd better see a Healer now,' Hermione said.

'I'll catch up with you at the hospital as soon as I've got rid of this other idiot in a cell next to Dekoo and Lihar,' Harry said.

The elves escorted the Snapes while Harry took care of Curby. Once in the Ministry, Harry called Nettle on his mobile to tell him what Curby had done.

James was still home, having breakfast with Henrietta, her parents, and the kids. Henrietta helped her husband Floo straight into Harry's office.

'I can take care of Curby, if you want,' James said.

'That's very kind, but you could only have him sued for what he did from a Muggle point of view. I have more serious charges against him as a wizard. However, I'd like you to tell his superior and his family what he's done. I'll have a full report for _you_ by the end of the day,' Harry said as he handed Curby's ID to James.

James grinned and said, 'Good job, Harry.'

'Excellent job,' Kingsley said from the door.

Harry wanted to introduce the Minister to the Nettles, but Kingsley interrupted him. 'You'd better go to the hospital. Healer Fille sent a distress signal requesting Curby's wand; there's a problem with Hermione,' he explained.

Harry Disapparated instantly, and Minister Shacklebolt introduced himself and decided to help Harry in his job.

.

.

As soon as Weniers felt that Harry was Apparating to the hospital, she guided him towards Hermione's room. Hermione was crying the seven seas, and Severus was holding her; he was paler than in death - literally.

Dyann was trying to give the Snapes some comfort, but she wasn't succeeding.

'What happened?' Harry inquired.

Dyann looked at the Snapes, deeply embarrassed.

'You can tell him,' Severus murmured.

'One of the spells that Curby used on Hermione will have lasting consequences because he combined it with an Unforgivable,' Dyann explained.

'Lasting?' Harry gasped.

He looked at his friend, afraid that she was going to die because of the spell. Then Harry felt Severus's mind reaching out to him through a form of telepathy, and Harry allowed a connection to be established.

"_She's not going to die, Potter_," Severus told him.

"_Then, what?_" Harry wondered.

Harry felt Severus's anguish when he answered, "_We can never have a child_."

"_Merlin! What did Curby do to her?_" Harry asked.

"_Ask the Healer_," Severus said before breaking the contact.

Harry felt how hurt, frightened and sad Severus was. He turned to Dyann, to whom Severus had just given permission to share the whole story with Harry, thanks to magical telepathy.

The respectable Healer walked outside.

Harry went to peck Hermione's tear-soaked cheek. 'I'll be right back,' he said, and then he followed Dyann.

The Healer looked older than Dumbledore when Harry closed the door behind him.

'What happened?' Harry asked.

'Your two friends never got a proper Wizarding birds and bees talk. Mrs Snape was brewing a potion to prevent pregnancies, but she found the recipe in one of the books in Hogwarts, and it didn't say that it works fully only on witches who've already given birth,' Dyann said.

'What did the potion do then?' Harry wondered.

'It magically stored a fertilized egg. What neither of your friends had taken into account was that to bring her husband back to life, she'd summoned all the magic in her; the benefit of the potion was annihilated when she resorted to High magic and almost gave her life to help him. The pregnancy started that night, and when Curby hexed her…' Dyann's voice trailed off.

'What?' Harry said.

'It killed the egg and did something to her that will make any pregnancy extremely difficult… and impossible with her husband,' Dyann explained.

'Can't you do something?' Harry asked.

'If I'd been there within the minute it happened, I could have given her a potion, if I had that one in store… I'm sorry, Harry,' Dyann said.

Harry froze. He'd just had the weirdest idea.

'Let's imagine that you were there. You give Hermione the potion, and she'll have kids with Severus?' he said.

'There are Healing charms to add,' Dyann answered.

'Can I learn them quickly?' Harry inquired.

Dyann shook her head.

'In the mood for a little trip with me?' Harry asked. Dyann looked stunned and completely at sea. 'All right, I've got an idea. I need you to find the potion that'd help Hermione and join me in their room… with whatever you'd need, as fast as possible,' he ordered.

'There's nothing we can do now,' Dyann protested.

'Now, yes… But I mean to take you to Hermione _when_ she needs you, and since you're our Healer, you're bound to secrecy, now go!' Harry ordered.

Dyann went to her surgery next door in order to Fire-call Potions stores that might have the remedy that she needed.

Harry went back to see the Snapes.

'Severus, is there some secret that you could share with me, something that would make you understand that you've got to trust me immediately?' Harry asked without preamble.

Severus blinked.

Hermione, who was on his lap as he sat on the exam bed, hiccoughed, 'Middle name.'

'I'm not telling him _that_!' Severus protested.

'Don't be a pain in the neck, Sev! I don't have much time if I want to take Dyann to you when needed her, and if I were to arrive after you've regained your magic, I don't want to risk having to duck your hexes. So?' Harry growled.

Severus answered, if a bit reluctantly.

'Only your mother called me Sev… and Hermione,' Severus protested.

'Get used to it… SEV!' Harry growled.

Hermione stopped crying, thanks to their banter.

'Now, Sweetie, in which department are the Time-Turners?' Harry asked her.

'Harry! You won't be allowed in there without the proper paperwork. It'll take days at best,' Hermione protested.

'I don't mean to go through the proper channels. Where are they kept?' Harry asked again.

When she didn't answer, Harry resorted to Legilimency, since Hermione was in no shape to resist him, and he got his answer.

'Potter, you could lose your job and go to jail,' Severus said.

'For helping you?' Harry growled.

'Severus's right, you know,' Hermione said.

Harry shrugged and said, 'You're my friends.' He looked at Severus and asked, 'As you lay dying, I had the feeling that you wanted to add something, to tell me more than what you gave me with your memories. What was it?'

Severus's cheeks coloured ever so slightly as he said, 'I wanted to ask you to take care of Hermione.'

'That's the plan,' Harry said.

'It could be dangerous,' Severus pointed out.

'Just shut up, Sev. I'm going to go rescue you, even if it's the last thing I do,' Harry growled.

Harry walked to the door to go see Dyann, since she wasn't coming back fast enough for his taste.

'Harry…' Hermione said. 'One turn. Just one, and don't forget the rules,' she declared.

He nodded and left.

It took Dyann about ten minutes to find a store with what she needed.

She Apparated with Harry to the heart of the Ministry, where Harry took his magical map to guide them.

He'd just placed the Time-Turner around his and Dyann's necks when someone opened the door.

Harry turned the magical device once.

The other Harry Potter, who'd just opened the door followed the instructions left by the Harry who'd just left, and he put the Time-Turner back in its place. No one but him, the Snapes and their Healer would ever know what happened.

.

.

An hour back in time, Harry asked Dyann where she was one hour "ago", and she answered that she was at the hospital, working.

'All right, now let's go to Spinner's End,' Harry said.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	19. Chapter 19

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

In Harry's mind, he had plenty of time to arrive long before Severus left the house and Curby arrived. Even with the time Dyann had needed to find the potion, they had ten minutes to reach the Snapes… in theory.

Harry held Dyann's hand in order to guide her towards the street as they Apparated.

Dyann didn't know about the wards around the house, and Harry hadn't read enough about wards yet to know what trying to Apparate through Protection wards could do.

Harry and Dyann were thrown back, as if they'd bounced against an invisible barrier; they landed in a field and lost consciousness for a few minutes.

Harry groaned when Dyann used spells to wake him up. He checked where they were and groaned again; they were right behind the bridge where Harry Apparated the first time that morning.

'How far are we?' Dyann inquired.

Harry explained where the house was.

'It's too far for me to run there and be on time. Can you spell a Portkey to arrive inside their house?' she asked.

'I don't know how to cast such a spell,' Harry admitted.

'I can access what you know about the house, but it's going to be painful for you,' she said.

'Do it,' Harry said.

'It shouldn't be much worse than the Cruciatus. I'm very sorry,' Dyann apologized.

Since she wasn't a Legilimens, the spell she used on Harry was the only way for her to know where to aim with a Portkey.

Harry felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach, but it _definitely_ wasn't as bad as he'd feared.

Dyann took a pebble, and she spelled it into a Portkey; she cast a Healing charm on Harry just before the Portkey activated.

.

.

Curby's combination of spells was extremely dangerous. Severus knew it, and his feelings for Hermione made his magic come back.

Instinctively, Severus used a secret Slytherin spell against Curby in order to make sure that Curby wouldn't be able to free himself.

Once Severus was sure that Curby was neutralized, he rushed next to Hermione.

'Hermione?' Severus said worriedly.

'I still hurt all over. There's something not normal,' Hermione gasped.

Severus snapped his fingers in an attempt to send a spell to get some help. Just a second later, Harry and Dyann arrived next to them, thanks to the Portkey.

Harry realized that Hermione was already hexed. 'Get to work,' he told Dyann, as he quickly checked the time on the clock that was on the mantelpiece.

'Potter!' Severus growled.

'You two, trust me and let Dyann work!' Harry growled back.

Dyann smiled at Hermione and started giving her the potion that she needed. Hermione felt that she could trust the Healer.

Severus wasn't as quiet as his wife. 'Why should I trust you, Potter?' he barked.

Harry called him by his second name. Severus blinked.

'I'm sorry, Sev, but you _must_ trust me and go with Dyann. She's our Healer, and she'll explain what happened. I need to take Curby to the Ministry, and I'll come see you at the hospital in about half an hour,' Harry said. He blinked and turned to Dyann. 'Can you go to some place where you won't risk meeting yourself and your patients?' he asked.

'I'll take them to my home. I have a small surgery there. I'll take them to the hospital only after we'll have left in what is our past and our other selves' future,' Dyann said.

'Did you use a Time-Turner to come back in time?' Hermione scolded her friend.

'Why did you do such a stupid thing, Potter?' Severus barked.

'Quiet! Both of you! You've got a very good friend in Harry,' Dyann said. She looked at Harry and said, 'We'll see you at the hospital in thirty minutes from _now_.'

Dyann took Hermione and Severus's hands in hers and Disapparated with them.

Now, Harry had to take Curby to the Ministry in order to have him charged; Dyann had arrived right on time, but Curby could still be charged for what he'd done to Hermione and Severus (the fact that a Healer had arrived in time to administer a cure didn't change the fact that the hexes had been cast).

However… Harry couldn't arrive with a Time-Turner in his pocket (one of the things that he'd discovered about the Ministry was that there were wards that could register what he had in his pockets when he booked a suspect – it was meant to save time and to avoid having defendants saying that Aurors had stolen items).

Then, Harry remembered seeing himself when they went back in time. From his pocket, he took his map of the Ministry, spelled it to look like an envelope and, in order to leave himself instructions, took a pencil that Severus had left on his Daily Prophet crosswords.

The Harry from the future Disapparated with Curby thirty seconds before the first Harry arrived with Kreacher and Weniers.

While Curby was being booked (for the second time for Harry), Weniers noticed the magical improvised envelope. Harry read the instructions left for him in his own hand-writing; he read that he'd have to do something even more important than when they rescued _Buck_. Now, the other Harry needed him to go put the Time-Turner back in place, but he had to use a different route than the one he'd taken with Dyann.

The Time-Turner was put back where it belonged, Curby was locked in a cell, and Harry went to the hospital to see if his plan had worked and the Snapes' future as parents was saved.

.

.

Severus was sitting outside of Dyann's surgery, in the waiting room. He looked so pale that Harry feared that they'd been too late nonetheless, because of his attempt to Apparate through the wards.

He rushed to Severus, sat next to him and asked, 'Did I bring Dyann too late?'

'No… she told us everything you've done for us, and now, she's giving Hermione a battery of tests and as many potions as I ever brewed. I'll be next,' Severus said.

'Then, that's great! Hermione can have your baby!' Harry exclaimed joyously.

'She _must_ have it… if we want a chance to still be compatible in the future,' Severus said.

He wasn't even really answering Harry.

'What's wrong, Sev?' Harry inquired gently.

Severus swirled towards the younger man, but his anger decreased when he saw that Harry wasn't teasing him.

'She's too young to become a mother, Potter!' Severus growled.

Harry snorted. 'We're talking about Hermione… a witch mature enough to convince _you_, _Stubborn_ Snape, to bond with her,' he said.

Severus blinked several times. 'I'd appreciate if you forgot my middle name, by the way,' he said.

Harry grinned and said, 'What middle name?'

Severus was forced to smile.

'I hope I never have to use it again!' Harry said.

Severus sighed and nodded.

'What's wrong? Don't tell me you don't want that baby, because that'd be a lie. You don't like kids acting like idiots in your class, but we're talking about a little being made of Hermione and you… the literal proof of your love. So, what's on your mind?'

'She's just seventeen,' Severus whispered.

'Sev, she's going to be eighteen very soon, and I just bet she's being more mature about this than you. Did she say that she feels she _must_ have that baby? What did she say?' Harry asked.

'She asked Healer Fille if she was healthy enough and if the potions and spells had really countered the hex,' Severus answered.

'You see, Sev!' Harry said.

Severus groaned and growled, 'And quit calling me by that stupid nickname.'

'I'll stop when you no longer behave like an idiot, because… I'm sorry, _Sev_, but you're being silly right now. Dyann is going to make sure that you two recover from the High magic and whatever happened to you two after Hermione resuscitated you, until we found you this morning,' Harry said.

Severus took a breath to say something, but Harry went on, 'Now, if you tell me that you don't want a child with Hermione, I'm going to take back her gift to you and make her forget she ever met you.'

Severus leaned and put his face in his hands and rubbed them over his cheeks. 'How can I let her go through this?' he murmured.

'I'll ask Dyann to check your brain thoroughly. You seem to forget that I saw you guys an hour ago after Dyann told you that you'd never be parents. Believe me, Sev, it's not something I want to see ever again, and anything that happens with this pregnancy and the lil' Snape you're going to have, it's going to be way easier than a life without that kid and with the kind of void I saw in Hermione's eyes back then,' Harry said.

Severus looked at Harry and asked, 'When did you grow up?'

There was no animosity in this new Severus Snape; Harry smiled widely.

'I grew up thanks to your wife. Listening to her is the best thing to do… With a bit of luck, it'll happen to you, too,' Harry said.

Severus blinked; he was so surprised that he looked ten years younger.

Harry smiled again.

'You're going to be just fine,' Harry said gently.

Severus looked at Harry, as if he were looking for something. Then, he smiled back and said, 'Don't take this wrong, but you're really Lily's son, and Healer Fille was right to fix your eyes,' Severus said.

'I hope I can become a good Auror, to make Mum proud,' Harry said.

'You found us with little help and no training. You'll make a great Auror,' Severus said.

'Thank you,' Harry said with a bright smile. 'Oh, and congratulations! I'm glad you two found each other,' he added.

Severus smiled and said, 'Thank you, Potter.'

A nurse came to invite Severus back in, and Harry was allowed to join them.

Hermione was smiling, which comforted her husband and her best friend. Dyann told Severus to lie on the bed next to his wife, and she cast spells to examine him carefully.

'Hermione?' Severus said.

He had eyes only for his wife.

'She's fine, and the egg is safe,' Dyann said.

Severus didn't believe their Healer until Hermione smiled, nodded and took his hand.

Dyann smiled and added, 'The only spell I can't cast is the one to assess when Hermione's magic is going to come back.'

'But it will, won't it?' Severus asked.

'Your magic came back… Mine will, as well,' Hermione said.

'In a minute, or later,' Dyann said.

'Later? Define later,' Severus growled.

'It might be possible to see her magic not come back until after the birth of your baby,' Dyann admitted. 'What Curby did could have strange consequences,' she explained.

Severus didn't know what to tell his wife.

'Oh, Severus… We lived like Muggles until Harry and Dyann arrived. I know you won't mind helping me until my magic comes back,' Hermione said.

'I'll do anything for as long as you need it,' he said.

'_Aww_!'

They all turned towards Harry, who'd just cooed.

'You can't hex an Auror trainee, remember?' Harry said.

Hermione giggled, and it was such a sweet sound to Severus's ears that he forgot about Harry, and wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders.

'I sent a Ministry message to Minister Shacklebolt to tell him I've found you, but perhaps I should hop by Hogwarts to tell Min that I've found you,' Harry said.

'Does she know that you call her "Min"?' Severus inquired with a small smile.

'Don't even think of teasing me, or I'll ask her to retire and to name you Headmaster… again,' Harry said.

Severus was still blinking when Minerva pushed the door open and said, 'Kreacher and Weniers came to see me to give me the good news.'

Severus smiled at his old friend, but his smile didn't last.

'I'm not planning to retire just yet, but I need a Deputy Headmaster, and that's going to be you, Severus,' Minerva declared.

'But…' Severus said.

'You need a job. You have a family now,' Dyann said.

'But…' Severus began to say again.

'If you're Deputy Headmaster, you'll teach your baby in twelve years,' Harry pointed out.

Severus looked at his wife, who beamed.

'Minerva?' Severus said.

'I'd like you to come back to teach Potions, be the Head of Slytherin and my Deputy Headmaster,' Minerva said.

'Only if Hermione can stay with me,' Severus said.

'Actually, I have plans for your wife,' Minerva said with a warm smile.

'What?' Hermione asked excitedly.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	20. Chapter 20

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Minerva smiled widely. 'I've been thinking about the situation a lot. You are an exceptional young woman, and even if you hadn't bonded with Severus, I would have asked you to come to teach. Now, there's also the problem of your temporary lack of magic to take into account, as well as the fact that you're not trained to teach…' she began to say.

'I got no training when Albus ordered me to teach Potions,' Severus objected.

Minerva swirled to face him and growled, 'Compare his methods with mine again, and I'll give you _detentions_!'

Severus shut his mouth with surprise, his teeth colliding audibly, and he glared at his wife, who'd dared to giggle.

'Good,' Minerva went on. 'Until I can give you a more magical position, I'd like you to come teach Muggle Studies. You'd be highly competent on the topic, and you could get your sea legs for the following years. What do you say?' she asked the young woman.

Hermione looked at her husband, her Healer, and her best friend, and then back at Minerva. She was speechless.

'Potter rightfully pointed out that you're quite an astounding lady, and I do believe that you can do anything if you want to do it,' Severus said.

'Really?' Hermione asked softly.

Severus snorted and said, 'I think you managed to convince me that _we_ were _not_ pure madness and that a certain spell wouldn't be needed.'

Hermione smiled when she remembered their first night together. She'd found her soulmate and had convinced him to not Memory-charm her… and they'd created their future baby by accident.

'I sent a note to Shacklebolt to have you protected, because absolutely no magic must be performed on you until the delivery. You can use the Floo network, Portkeys and be Apparated; you can be helped by house-elves, but no spell or charm must be aimed at you, or your magic might never come back,' Dyann declared seriously. 'Other than that, your pregnancy will be completely normal,' she added.

Hermione was nodding slowly, taking in what her Healer was saying.

Dyann turned towards Severus and added, 'That goes for you, as well. No spells in bed.'

Severus gulped and blushed ever so slightly.

'There are spells for _that_?' Harry asked. He paused and added, 'I said that aloud, didn't I?'

'That you did. I'll ask Poppy to prepare some kind of talks for our older students. Obviously, the "birds and bees" aren't always covered at home; I'll have to get the Minister's approval for that, as well,' Minerva stated.

'My approval for what?' Kingsley inquired as he joined them. 'I had to respond to your message at once, Healer Fille,' he said.

'Thank you, Minister,' Dyann said, as she started casting Healing spells on Severus.

Kingsley bowed and turned to Minerva.

'Our children need to be informed about the facts of life; the basics at least. Poppy could explain a few things to our oldest students, but I need you to agree to that change in our curriculum,' Minerva declared.

Kingsley nodded.

'It'd be a good idea, Minister. You wouldn't believe the silliness that is said at night in the dorms,' Hermione intervened.

'Not only at night,' Harry murmured.

Kingsley smiled and said, 'I remember.' He turned to Minerva and added, 'I really trust you to improve Hogwarts; I'll sign everything you send me.'

Minerva beamed and said, 'Thank you, Minister.'

Dyann gave Severus a spoonful of potion and said, 'There, you're as good as new.'

Severus bowed.

'So, what's the verdict about the Snapes? I'm asking as your Minister,' Kingsley declared.

'Professor Snape is still channelling a few particles of the High magic that his bonded used to resuscitate him. Other than that, he's got a clean bill of health,' Dyann said. 'Mrs Snape's magic was strained by her sacrifice to revive her bonded. What Dekoo and Lihar did to them stressed her even more, and Curby's hexes were the last straw; I'll testify to that during the trials,' Dyann said. 'She must be protected by Ministerial decree. If anything were to happen to my patient… I'd use a few old laws that even you have forgotten, but that are still in our corpus of Common Laws,' she added.

'I'll take all necessary measures to protect our dear Mrs Snape. After all, she's one of our war heroes,' Kingsley said. 'And I'll have another decree to state how Professor Snape helped us. We need to protect them both.'

'If you promise not to send me to Azkaban, I can hex whoever tries anything against us,' Severus declared.

Kingsley chuckled warmly. 'You're allowed to protect yourself, but easy on the hexes, Snape. I'll have you _both_ protected by decree, at least until Mrs Snape's magic comes back, and then she can hex for both of you,' he said.

Severus looked so much like an owl with ruffled feathers that Hermione giggled again.

'May I tickle her, or would it be bad for her health?' Severus asked Dyann.

'That'd hurt her,' Dyann lied, which made Hermione giggle even more.

'Speaking of health, is there a book that you could recommend? I'd like to know what to expect… and why my potion didn't work as I thought it would,' Hermione said.

'If you want, I could lend you one of my medical books. It's a bit dry, but at least it'll be accurate,' Dyann said.

'Please!' Hermione said.

'I'll have one of the hospital house-elves deliver it to you. Will you be at home or at Hogwarts?' Dyann asked.

Hermione looked at her husband, who shrugged.

'We'll stay wherever you want,' Severus said.

'Home; we have a few things to plan together for the future and to arrange there,' she said, blushing as she thought about the baby.

'No! It might be dangerous, and Sev can spell a nursery in three flicks of his wand. You'll come to Hogwarts,' Harry said.

'But…' Hermione began to protest.

'Harry has a point; you'll be safer in Hogwarts… at least until my decrees, as well as your roles in ending the war, have been widely advertised,' Kingsley intervened.

Severus wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders and admitted, 'That'd give me the opportunity to learn a few more spells you might like us to use on the house.'

Hermione only looked at her husband and said, 'We'll have months before I… we… Well, before…'

After years of surviving in the inner circle of Lord Voldemort, Severus demonstrated some suicidal tendency by saying, 'Are you really sure you want to do this, Hermione?'

Hermione's glare made the Head of Slytherin pale and flinch.

'May we have a bit of privacy?' Hermione declared.

Dyann, Minerva, Harry and Kingsley fled.

Hermione then proceeded to tell her husband that she knew that they both wanted their baby, that she was healthy enough to have it, and that if he ever said anything that stupid ever again, she'd bite him (or hex if her magic was back).

.

.

While Hermione was growling at her husband (and she wasn't hormonal yet), the Snapes' friends were in the waiting room.

'Harry will be our official contact as the trials are being scheduled,' Kingsley announced to Dyann.

The Healer nodded. 'Good choice; he needs training, and he's a witness, too,' she said.

The Minister turned to Minerva and said, 'I gather that you've been working quite efficiently, and Hogwarts will remain open.'

'Of course!' Minerva exclaimed.

The Headmistress was so shocked that Kingsley might have thought that the only magical school in the British Isles could have closed after over a thousand years of existence that her voice was quite high-pitched.

Kingsley smiled warmly and added, 'There was a real threat against the school, Minerva. Some people on the Board wanted to call it quits.'

'Purebloods with enough money to hire private tutors abroad, I imagine,' Minerva growled.

'Speaking of Hogwarts, I'll go see the Snapes to make sure that they're not arguing too much or using my medical bed for marital activities. I'll accompany them to their quarters in order to make sure that there's nothing potentially harmful for Mrs Snape there. Oh, and I'll send a hospital house-elf to retrieve the Snapes' wands; we can't know when Hermione is going to need hers, and Severus needs to make sure that his is still attuned to his magical signature,' Dyann declared.

'I'll have one Hogwarts house-elf assigned to their service… and protection. At least, until the baby's born,' Minerva said.

Kingsley nodded.

Dyann went back to the other room, as Minerva cast a charm to call one of the school's elves.

'Weniers!' Harry exclaimed when he saw the elf who'd answered Minerva.

Harry noticed that Kingsley looked at him strangely, but he didn't comment on it.

'Are you willing to serve and protect the Snapes?' Minerva asked Weniers.

The house-elf tilted her head and asked, 'Could Weniers be bound to the Severus and the Hermione?'

If Minerva agreed to that, it'd mean that the school would lose a free elf and that Weniers would become the property of the Snapes. Minerva looked at Kingsley, who shrugged.

'Yes, if it is really what you want,' Minerva answered.

Weniers nodded so frantically that Harry almost felt sea-sick just looking at her.

'In a year and a day, I'll put an end to your Hogwarts contract and will bind you to the Snapes if you confirm that it's still what you want. Until then, I order you to keep an eye on Severus and protect Hermione at all costs,' Minerva declared.

Weniers nodded and became invisible.

'I'll go see if Severus and Hermione need any help to go to Hogwarts,' Minerva declared. She smiled at Kingsley and said, 'I'll have a few scrolls of parchment to send you, as well.'

'Excellent. Will you need people to come help and rebuild the damage that was done on the castle?' Kingsley inquired.

Minerva grinned with pride when she said, 'No need for that, Minister, the magic of Hogwarts and the house-elves have already rebuilt the castle.'

'You're the best,' Kingsley declared affectionately. 'Now, I'll borrow my newest Auror. I have to fine-tune his duties,' he added, as he placed one hand on Harry's shoulder.

Minerva bowed once. She looked at Harry and said, 'Try not to be too late for dinner tonight.'

'Yes, Min,' Harry answered obediently.

Minerva joined the others again.

'Let's go somewhere quiet,' Kingsley told Harry.

Harry followed his boss to the Grimmauld Place mansion, which was safe again now.

Harry felt rather moved to be in this house, and Kingsley understood it. They went to the kitchen, and the new Minister cast a few spells to make two quick cups of tea.

'Tell me what happened and what you did since I made you an Auror trainee,' Kingsley told Harry.

Harry made his report.

Kingsley congratulated his newest Auror for the spell he'd invented and for getting a Muggle mobile to work, even surrounded with magic.

'Now, Harry, I wanted us to be somewhere quiet in order to discuss your future, but _first_, I've got to tell you that I know you borrowed a Time-Turner. What happened?' Kingsley asked.

Harry saw that his boss wasn't angry; he merely wanted to know why Harry had needed a Time-Turner, and so, Harry told him everything that happened the first time.

'You did well, Harry. When you took it, it generated a parchment that appeared right on my desk; I'll have it filed after adding that you followed my orders. If you ever need to borrow one again, and it's for such a good reason, I'll cover you,' Kingsley said.

'Thank you,' Harry said softly.

Kingsley saw that there was still something bothering Harry. 'Harry?' he said very gently.

'The first time… Hermione… her eyes… There was something in her eyes that I didn't identify instantly… In fact, I saw in her eyes the same kind of despair I saw in Sev's eyes when he died,' Harry said, and he shuddered.

'Harry, if it ever gets easy to do your job, you'll know that it's time to look for another career,' Kingsley declared.

'You mean, you're not going to send me home for all my mistakes,' Harry said.

'I'm not going to fire my best hope to get the Auror department recruiting again, now that the war is over,' Kingsley half-joked.

Harry blinked.

'When people know that Harry James Potter is an Auror trainee, the new recruits are going to start pouring in… And we need it, Harry. Can you stand being bait?' Kingsley asked.

Harry actually chuckled. 'At least, you're asking me. I was thrown into the war without knowing why. I like the job, and I'd like to become a good Auror. However people react to the news, I don't care. If I can help you, so be it,' he answered.

'Thank you, Auror Potter,' Kingsley said.

Harry smiled.

'Now, your immediate future. I'd like you to start Auror training with me, and I'd like you to learn as much as you can from DCI Nettle, too. At the same time, I'd like you to keep working on combining Muggle technology with spells; I believe that that's the future,' Kingsley said.

Harry nodded fervently.

'And now, the pièce de résistance. You're going to find a way to make a computer work, but not because you'll have to go see that pretty Muggle again,' Kingsley said.

'Why?' Harry asked.

'Why do you think?' Kingsley said to test his trainee.

After a few seconds, Harry said, 'Because I can ask Professor Hermione Snape to help me?'

Kingsley nodded. 'Not bad, but you'll have to be even more suspicious, Harry. Officially, you'll be working on mixing Muggle technology with Wizarding techniques, but unofficially, your true mission will be to protect the Snapes.'

'Do you think someone's going to try something against them?' Harry asked.

'Yes.'

Harry gulped.

'A lot of people hate Severus. Look at what Dekoo, Lihar and Curby have done in a little bit over two days, and now Hermione is defenseless. Your next mission will be to protect them without having the Snapes noticing,' Kingsley said.

"I'm doomed," Harry thought.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	21. Chapter 21

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Kingsley saw Harry's look and smiled at him.

'Not funny, Minister! How can I spy on them and make sure that they don't notice? We're talking about a wizard who'd been lying to Riddle for years, and about the cleverest witch of my generation,' Harry said.

'Yes, but they think they know you. You'll have to lull them into believing that you haven't changed one bit, and that you're incapable of lying to them and that you're not watching them in order to protect them,' Kingsley said.

'Do you really think I can do it?' Harry asked.

'Of course, you'll have to work on your innocent look,' Kingsley said.

'The lost puppy act?' Harry said.

Kingsley nodded.

'I've already used it a few times,' Harry admitted.

'The thing is, most people will mostly see the son of James and Lily Potter in you… just a child; you can use that and trick them,' Kingsley suggested.

'I really don't mind tricking people, but can I do it with Hermione and Sev? Won't they know I'm supposed to protect them?' Harry wondered.

'You'll have to be a cunning lost puppy around them. This is going to be the best possible training,' Kingsley declared with enthusiasm.

'If I can survive, yea…' Harry said with a fake sigh.

'All right… I've given enough orders at the Ministry to keep every department busy for at least two days. I'll start your training right now. We'll devise a training schedule for you tomorrow; you'll be given a few assignments, you'll have to protect the Snapes, and you'll have training sessions with me and DCI Nettle whenever he's free to help you. Don't worry, I don't expect you to work non-stop; I'll ask the house-elf who volunteered to keep an eye on the Snapes at night and on weekends in order to help you,' Kingsley declared.

'I'll be staying in Hogwarts, I can watch them at night,' Harry pointed out.

'Harry,' Kingsley said affectionately, 'you need to rest, and there might be nights when you won't stay home, you know.'

'Why?' Harry asked innocently.

'Pretty Muggles, young witches?' Kingsley said with a wide smile.

In the wink of an eye, Harry blushed bright red.

'Besides, you've just spent the past few months tense and stressed. You'll need to rest a bit; all the more since I'm afraid that Healer Fille knows more about what happened to Hermione than she wanted us to believe. Honestly, I don't think her magic will come back before she has the baby,' Kingsley said.

'Really?' Harry said.

'Snape's magic came back in a situation of emergency. I don't think Hermione's will come back until she has to face some kind of magical emergency herself. She's the one who performed the High magic, she might even have to undergo a ritual of some sort,' Kingsley said.

'Do you think so?' Harry said.

'I might be wrong, of course, but be prepared to keep an eye on them for a few months,' Kingsley said.

Harry nodded.

'All right… Now, this house belongs to you, and I'm going to train you on a few Defence spells and other charms here and now,' Kingsley declared. 'To begin with, I'm going to show you how to regain full control on this Unplottable place.'

Until teatime, Harry worked with Kingsley, and the young wizard learnt a lot of things. They'd only stopped for a late lunch (Kingsley called Weniers, and she provided them with a meal; she also promised to protect the Snapes while in her invisible form).

Harry was now the sole master of the mansion, and it had been cleaned of all Dark magic.

'You can come to the Ministry with me. Tea's a real treat there, or you can go buy a computer,' Kingsley said.

'I'll come for tea tomorrow; it'll look like a good reason to come see you, and then we can work on my schedule,' Harry said.

Kingsley beamed with pride. 'Excellent, Harry!' he exclaimed. He grinned and added, 'And you can go see Kate now.'

Harry snorted and said, 'I'll see Kate, but I need the computer to keep Mrs Snape busy. If I can get her interested in the programming and theoretical spelling, I'm sure that Sev will stay around.'

'Good plan,' Kingsley conceded. 'Go to the shop before it closes. Don't forget to fill out all the paperwork and to leave the invoice at the desk for Ministry employees,' he said.

Harry nodded.

They exited the mansion together. Now that Harry had changed the spell on the house, Kingsley could no longer see it.

'Let me invite you back in,' Harry said.

Kingsley put his hand over Harry's arm and said, 'Two things, Harry. First, I'm honoured that you trust me enough to wish to invite me, but it'd be unwise; now that I was nominated Minister for Magic, I could be trapped under the Imperius and allow people in unwillingly.'

'Right, and if you'd let that happen, then it means that I'm going to propose to Draco Malfoy tonight,' Harry said with a snort.

Kingsley blinked and then chuckled.

'What's the other thing?' Harry asked.

'Well, it's just that you really don't realize how powerful you are because most wizards would have needed to cast the spell I taught you three times, at least, before the magic on the entire house changed, and since your spell worked so well, you can't invite anyone in until a whole week has passed,' Kingsley explained.

'Oh… Well, in a week, then,' Harry said.

Kingsley bowed and said, 'See you tomorrow… for tea.'

Harry nodded.

Kingsley Disapparated to his office, and Harry Disapparated to the street near the shop where Kate worked.

'Your little friend's back,' one of Kate's colleagues said, none too discreetly.

Harry glared at the man, who blushed and looked away.

Kate gave Harry a small smile, and he walked straight to her.

'Problem with the phone?' she asked.

'Absolutely not! And I found my friends this morning. Now, I need a computer; I must say that my boss was quite happy with the mobile,' Harry said loudly. In a whisper, he added, 'I'd like to know if you still want that drink.'

'Yes,' she said to answer to the invitation and paused. Then, she added, 'What kind of computer do you need?'

'Lots of memory, lots of options, a good manual to go with it… Oh, and one that doesn't need to be plugged in all the time,' he said.

'A laptop,' she said. 'PC or Mac?'

'I don't know,' Harry said.

Kate smiled and asked, 'What will you need to do with it?'

'Well, I'm supposed to use it for work, so I'll need to be able to file cases on it. I'm allowed to use it at home, too - though I must admit that it'll be a bit of work away from the office, too, because I'm supposed to use it to keep Hermione busy,' he answered.

The young shop attendant noticed Harry's sad look. 'Is something wrong with your friend?' Kate inquired kindly.

Harry sighed and said, 'I didn't arrive until after she was attacked, and she's going to need time to recover.'

'Oh… I'm so sorry!' Kate exclaimed.

Harry gave her a small smile.

'What kind of things do you think would keep her busy? Games?' she asked.

'Anything and everything. She's got a great mind, and she's very curious about everything in the world,' Harry answered.

'Then you'll need a laptop with a good DVD player, too. You'll be able to watch films with her and to save your files onto blank DVDs,' Kate said.

'A DVD player? In a computer? I feel as if I've been living on another planet,' Harry declared.

'Well, it makes computers a tad more pricey, but it's quite worth it,' Kate said.

'And you said – I'm thinking about work here – that I can put files on blank DVDs?' Harry said.

'There are programmes that allow you to create what's called a data DVD; with that, you can burn any kind of files, documents, pictures, videos… Anything you want,' Kate explained.

'I think it's a good thing I'll be allowed to take the computer home. I can explore the features after dinner!' Harry exclaimed.

Kate smiled at Harry's enthusiasm. 'Now, let's see what you'd like in our selection,' she said.

By the time Harry had chosen a laptop, he was alone in the shop with Kate; her colleagues had left her to close.

'You can't get the paperwork done tonight, but I can have the computer ready for you tomorrow when we open,' Kate said.

Harry was lost in thought for a moment.

'Harry?' she said with a merry chuckle.

'Do you have two… No, three of those laptops in store?' he asked.

Kate checked the inventory on the store computer and said, 'Yes, we do. Are you planning to get computers for your colleagues, too?'

'No, I was thinking that I need one for work, but I'd like to have one, and I'm sure Hermione would love one,' Harry said.

'You're a good friend… If two are for you, you could have those tonight, and I'll save the third for when you have your paperwork signed,' she said.

When Harry looked at her, she thought that there was something strange in his eyes. She was in for the surprise of her life.

'When you said you wanted us to go to the pub, it wasn't just for a drink and a friendly chat, was it?' he inquired.

'No,' she admitted.

'All right; then, there's something I've got to tell you about me, and I might as well show you where I work, or you just might call Bedlam if I don't prove what I say,' Harry said.

.

.

It didn't take Dyann long to check the Snapes' quarters at Hogwarts. There was nothing magically bad for Hermione, but the Healer ordered Severus to redecorate and make sure that Hermione wouldn't catch pneumonia… even in the summer.

While Severus cast spell after spell with the help of Weniers and an army of house-elves, Hermione read the medical book that Dyann had sent her.

Minerva made a magical announcement throughout the school to proclaim Severus's return among the living and his nomination as Deputy Headmaster. Minerva also said that until a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was found, the new Deputy Headmaster would answer questions on the topic, as well as resume his duties as Potions master and Head of Slytherin.

The Headmistress also advertised that there would be ministerial decrees concerning the Snapes, and that no magic must be aimed at Mrs Hermione Snape (if any student did such a terrible thing, Minerva warned them all that being expelled would be the beginning of their end).

Ginevra had come back to school, and she snorted when she heard the warning. Luna decided to keep an eye on the redhead witch.

Half an hour before dinner, Severus joined his wife in their parlour. She was still reading, comfortably settled on their sofa.

'Hermione?' he said softly.

'Merlin! When I can bring my parents back here, with their memory restored, I'm going to give them an earful,' she growled.

'Why?' he asked as he sat next to her.

'They kept lecturing me about teeth, but they didn't teach me much about sex. They couldn't know anything about my potion – that mistake was all mine, but there are so many things that they never told me… and that they _must_ know,' she said.

'What things?' Severus inquired.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	22. Chapter 22

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'Well, I know I was wrong to listen to what the other girls were saying… They all seemed so convinced that you can't get pregnant until the third time you do it if you're a witch. But witches are biologically like Muggles, and the first time can get you pregnant. Well, I'm the obvious proof,' she answered.

'I should have used a spell,' Severus whispered very softly.

'Oi! We _both_ thought the potion was enough. Besides, the book clearly says that there's absolutely _no_ method of contraception that's one hundred percent efficient. It's even more complicated for us than for Muggles, because sometimes a mere magical _wish_ will make spells, charms or potions become inefficient,' she explained.

Severus looked a bit sad.

'Oh, don't be silly, Severus! I don't regret anything… and let's face it, I'm quite happy to be sharing your bed,' she said.

'I don't regret that you convinced me not to Memory-charm you, or that we bonded, or that we're having a baby, but…' he paused briefly. 'But I do regret the stress that this pregnancy is going to put you through,' he admitted.

Hermione grinned ferally. 'Well, you heard Dyann; I can do it,' she said, pausing theatrically. 'You'll have a few months to update your knowledge on pregnancy, and I trust you to find the potions that'll help me,' she said.

'You should have been a Slytherin,' Severus said with love.

'I'm a good Gryffindor, that's all. Not all Gryffindors are like Sirius Black, and not all Slytherins are like Malfoy,' she declared.

He nodded once.

'Will you find the potions I'll need?' she insisted.

'Of course,' he promised.

She smiled warmly.

'Are there other interesting facts in Dyann's book?' he asked.

'Yes!' she exclaimed. 'You know, that little surprise I had this morning… Well, I was wondering if it meant that…' her voice trailed off.

'If it meant that you were losing the embryo even before Curby attacked you,' Severus voiced her fear for her.

She nodded several times and went on, 'Well, it seems that it happens sometimes. Some gals keep having something resembling normal periods, and there are even a few who don't show and don't feel anything until the delivery.'

Severus looked quite surprised.

'I know, it's mad!' she exclaimed.

Severus remained silent.

'Severus?' she said softly.

'You're so thin, dearest. In a few weeks, I'm sure we'll notice the difference,' he declared.

Hermione looked at herself and admitted, 'It's true that I lost weight recently.'

'You'll have a healthy diet now, and I'll find all the potions you need,' he said. 'When you're done reading the book, I'll borrow it.'

She nodded.

Weniers made herself visible.

'Hey!' Hermione greeted their house-elf joyfully.

'I was given the Hermione's magical bag. Does the Hermione want me to empty it in the transformed quarters?' Weniers asked.

'I could help you,' Hermione said.

'The professors have better things to do together before dinner,' Weniers answered.

Hermione and Severus looked at each other and blushed.

Hermione cleared her throat and said, 'I need to check what's inside the bag.'

'We could empty the bag all together,' Severus suggested.

Hermione nodded. She put the medical book on the sofa and got up.

Weniers shook her head and whispered, 'The professors are two silly bunnies.'

The couple chuckled at that.

Weniers and Severus used magic to retrieve Hermione's possessions from the magical bag. It turned out that there weren't many items of clothing left in one piece.

'We'll have to go shopping,' Severus declared.

'I don't have much money left,' Hermione stated after inspecting her purse.

'I can access my account again. I'll pay for what you need,' he said.

'You don't have to,' Hermione retorted.

'The Hermione is being strange. The Severus is your husband, he can buy you clothes, and you can do the same for him. The Snapes are married,' Weniers declared. She smiled and said, 'Dinner in five minutes.'

Weniers disappeared with magic.

'She's right,' Severus pointed out.

Hermione sighed and said, 'I know. It's just that I want us to be equal.'

'Dearest, you'll get your first wages come October 1st… until then I'll take care of you. We can work on a way to share bills and taxes and expenses,' he said.

She nodded fervently.

'What will we have to pay?' she asked.

'Well, there's the house that my parents left me. It's paid for, but there are Muggle taxes to pay once a year. While we're working here, there's no rent to pay, the house-elves do all the cleaning and washing, and food is included; this summer however, we'll have to pay some rent, but since I have a new job designation, and you'll be a teacher, too, it'll be work related,' he said.

'Really?' she said.

He nodded and went on, 'You'll need to make lesson plans, so you'll be allowed to stay here – even if there wasn't the ministerial decree that's going to protect you, and which will certainly give you, and us, a few privileges here. Since we're married, I can stay with you. Other than that, when we're on holiday and not staying at Hogwarts, we'll have to buy food, clothes, and… books.'

'Do you know what my monthly wages will be?' she asked.

'For a new teacher for a minor subject, and if the Ministry and the Board don't change the wage scale, it should be about two thousand and five hundred Galleons, after taxes,' he said.

Hermione blinked a few times, and then she whistled.

'That's good!' she exclaimed.

She looked so happy that he was forced to smile.

'That's really good, Severus. It's a good job with good wages, and we've got to keep in mind that in a few months, we'll be three,' she said.

'I'm not as rich as Potter, but I'm far from being poor, darling… in spite of the state of my house. I've been saving most of my wages since I started working, and I sell rare potions to St Mungo's and a few private clients. On top of that, my new position here will come with a significant raise,' he said.

'Really?' she asked.

He nodded, and Hermione spotted his tiny smile.

'How good are the wages for the Deputy Head?' she inquired.

'Well, if the scale doesn't change, of course…' he began.

'Of course,' she said, forced to smile at a playful Severus.

'It should be about double yours,' he declared calmly to tease her.

She was speechless.

'We can build our life together and take care of our family without worrying,' he said seriously.

'That's a blessing,' she said.

'We should probably head to the Great hall, or Weniers will come abduct us,' he pointed out.

She nodded, and they left their quarters.

'Do you know if there are legal things that pregnant gals have to do?' Hermione inquired.

'No, but I'm sure that Minerva will know,' he said.

'Good! I'll ask her. I wouldn't want us to have nasty surprises because I forgot to register somewhere, or to sign something… I'm ready to trust our new Minister, but there are people like Dekoo and Curby outside,' she said.

'Better safe than sorry,' he agreed.

She nodded furiously.

'Would you like me to go look for your parents tomorrow? There's no need to wait for your magic to come back, and I'm sure you'd like to have them near you,' he said.

'I know that "Wendell and Monica Wilkins" are safe in Brisbane. I'm sure that the fact that their address there is the same that the one we had in England helped them adapt to my spell on them. I really think that I'm the only one who can undo the spell, you know… and I hope that my magic will come back soon,' she said.

'If you change your mind, I can take you there and try to restore their memories,' he said.

She smiled and nodded.

Hermione was walking towards the main entrance of the Great hall, but Severus took her hand and guided her towards the door that led to the High table.

There was a vacant seat next to Severus's usual one.

Hermione noticed that Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were sitting on Minerva's left.

'Mad day,' Hermione whispered to herself.

The Snapes sat down. Filius Flitwick leant towards them and said, 'Harry said that he'd be late. He's got a bit of work… and a surprise.'

'May Salazar protect us,' Severus joked.

Minerva stood up, and all the students became silent.

'Students, I have yet other announcements,' Minerva declared. 'First, as you can see, we have guests among us. Minister Shacklebolt has agreed to allow Mr and Mrs Malfoy to stay here until a decree concerning them is widely advertised in our community,' she explained.

In the quiet hall, Ginevra Weasley's snort sounded orotund.

Minerva glared at the young witch, who looked unfazed.

A tiny voice coughed something that sounded like "Pettigrew", and Ginevra lost a bit of her arrogance.

Minerva reflected that she'd have to keep an eye on the Weasley witch. She cleared her throat and went on, 'I also have some good news for next year. All the currently vacant teaching positions have been filled, and we have the pleasure of welcoming the next Muggle Studies teacher tonight; Professor Hermione Snape will be in charge of that class.'

Curiously, the first two to applaud Hermione were Luna and… Draco. The other students and Hermione's new fellows followed suit.

Once they were done applauding, Minerva gave the house-elves the signal to send the food.

'I wonder if Draco's smoking something,' Hermione whispered.

'He grew up,' Severus told her.

Narcissa leant over the table and towards Hermione and said, 'Your bonded's right.'

'Good ears,' Hermione told the witch.

Narcissa smiled and added, looking at the young woman, 'Congratulations, Professor Snape. When spells are no longer dangerous for you, I'd like to offer you a Blessing.'

Hermione blinked with surprise and said, 'Thank you.'

'You'll probably have my son in your class next year,' Narcissa went on.

'Merlin! For his sake, let's hope that I won't have to hex him,' Hermione said.

'When will your magic be back, Professor Snape?' Lucius inquired.

'I don't know, but even if I can't literally hex him, I can always give him detentions if he does anything to deserve it,' she answered.

'Fair enough,' Narcissa declared.

'Perhaps we could have tea after dinner, in our quarters,' Lucius suggested.

'If you want, you'll come to _our_ quarters,' Severus declared.

At least, on his territory, he'd be able to protect his wife.

.

.

'Where do you want us to go, once I've closed the shop?' Kate asked Harry.

'How do you feel about strange and unusual things?' Harry asked.

'A bit of adventure is always good,' she answered.

'Would you trust me if I were to ask you something weird?' he asked.

'How weird?' she inquired.

'If you close the shop from inside, I can take you to the place where I work,' Harry said.

Kate blinked once and looked at Harry as if he had bats in the attic.

'I'm not a lunatic, Kate. Magic is real, and I'm a wizard. I can prove it. Close the doors and I'll show you,' he said.

Kate believed that Harry was joking and that he wanted some quiet time with her in the shop; she didn't mind. She closed all the doors and turned the security system on; then, she went back to Harry.

He held out his hands, and she took them. Literally in the blink of an eye, Kate found herself with Harry in the Hall of the Ministry of Magic.

'This is where I work,' Harry said. 'Shocked? Afraid? Anything?' he asked her.

'You beamed me to another place, and I didn't feel a thing!' she exclaimed.

'And?' he insisted.

'And my mind's a blank. I don't know what to think,' she admitted.

'May I take you to the office where they can sign the papers you need? I could take the three computers after our drink,' he said.

Kate nodded.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	23. Chapter 23

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'Are you in shock or something?' Harry inquired kindly.

Kate shook her head.

'Cat got your tongue?' he asked with a charming smile.

'This is so mad!' she said.

Harry held a hand out, and she took it.

'As I said, magic is very real, and it's my life. This is the Ministry of Magic, and I was initially recruited to find my friends. I'm the equivalent of a police officer,' he explained as he led her towards the Emergency Department.

'You're a copper _and_ a wizard?' she said.

'Yea… I'm in training… and I'll be in training for a very long time, but this was my parents' job, and this is what I want to do. Usually, we can't use Muggle stuff, but I was so motivated to find my friends that I came up with a way to make the mobile work, thanks to a spell, and now I'm planning to do the same with the laptops,' he said.

'You used drugs?' she almost squeaked.

'Eh?' he said.

'_Muggle_, you said,' she explained.

Harry chuckled and said, 'I'm not very good at slang, sorry. Muggle is what we call non-magical people; nothing fancy or weird, you see.'

'Oh… I prefer that,' she said.

Harry smiled, squeezed her hand and added, 'You know, even in the Wizarding community, I've had a rather weird life up to now.'

They'd reached the office that Harry needed to visit, and he opened the door for Kate just as she said, 'Well, you'll have to tell me everything over a drink, or two.'

'Why are you bringing your Muggle girlfriend here, Potter?' the unpleasant wizard whom Harry had last met here growled.

'This young lady is my informatics provider, and she was kind enough to come here after hours so that I can get a computer for work. Since she's a Muggle, and she's just been told about magic, I simply didn't want to risk losing her in the building,' Harry said.

The other wizard snorted, thinking that Harry was lying about Kate.

'I'm not his girlfriend, you twat!' Kate growled.

'Right, then why were you talking about drinks when you walked in?' the wizard spat.

'I take my bribes in liquid, thank you,' Kate spat back, unfazed.

Harry saw the instant that the other wizard started to think that he'd made a mistake… again.

'Sorry, Miss,' the other wizard apologized.

'Tell me, Mr Oof, is it always going to be like this? Are you going to doubt me and then change your mind? Did you use to work for the _Daily Prophet_?' Harry asked very calmly… too calmly.

'I'm sorry, Auror Potter,' Oof said.

Harry sighed theatrically and started the lost and cute puppy act again. 'This is so unfair. I just want to be a good Auror like my mum and dad,' he said.

'You're right. I'm really sorry. What can I do for you?' Oof asked.

'I need to buy a Muggle laptop for work, and I need it now so that I can start working on it tonight and spell it to work,' Harry explained.

Oof took care of all the paperwork in five minutes; he even cast the spells in a way that Kate only had to sign a magical invoice for everything to be in order (Harry wouldn't have to stop by the reception desk to hand in any parchments, and Kate's shop would be paid in Muggle currency within the hour).

Kate had a hard time signing with a quill, but she was a good sport.

'Is there anything else?' Oof asked.

Harry shook his head.

'No, everything's fine, my dear, and now I can give Potter his computer and get my drink,' Kate said. 'I don't suppose you're free to join us?'

Oof looked really surprised, and he said, 'No, Miss… Miss?'

'Mann… Double n,' she answered.

Oof nodded once and went on, 'No, I'm sorry, Miss Mann; I just started my shift, but it's very kind of you.'

'Maybe another time,' she said amiably.

Oof smiled. 'Who knows? Well, off you go, you two. Potter has to work on that thing the Ministry bought, and you've got to go to the pub, too,' he said.

Kate nodded. She turned to Harry and asked, 'How do we proceed?'

'Give me your hands again,' Harry said.

Harry and Kate said goodbye to Oof, and Harry Disapparated them to… his office.

'Where are we?' she asked.

'I brought you to my office; this is my desk,' he explained.

She looked at the old desk with the crate containing Severus's files on it. 'Must be tough to find criminals with… nothing,' she said.

'There are spells, you know, but it's true that a bit of Muggle technology will certainly help improve things,' he said. 'I brought you here not to show you my office, but to ask you in a quiet place if you'd mind going to the bank with me. I need to withdraw some money to pay you,' he added.

'Can you beam us to the bank? It's just that I'd rather not spend the whole evening _working_,' she said.

He nodded fervently, blushing a bit. She squeezed his hands, and he took them to Gringotts; there, Kate didn't let go of his hands.

'All right?' Harry asked gently.

'Er… More or less. I know you wouldn't take me somewhere dangerous, but I must say that this place feels as if I just stepped into a sci-fi movie,' she explained.

'You have nothing to fear,' Harry said, keeping one of her hands in his.

They went to a counter, and Harry asked for enough money to buy the two laptops.

'Do you want Muggle banknotes, or do you want us to transfer the money to the shop?' the Goblin who was behind the counter asked.

Harry looked at Kate and asked, 'What do you prefer?'

'A transfer would be better… and quicker,' she said.

'Transfer it is, then, Miss Mann,' the Goblin declared.

'Do you know me?' she asked, very surprised.

'I'm the one in charge of transfers in the evening. This will be the third time that I've sent money to the account of the place where you work, and Auror Potter dealt with you each time,' the Goblin said.

'Oh… logical,' Kate said.

The Goblin smiled, which was a bit scary, and he added, 'Yes, Miss, no magic in that.'

'For all I know, there could have been,' Kate said softly.

Harry smiled, and she smiled back.

'Sign this, Auror Potter, and the transfer will start,' the Goblin said.

Harry checked the amount of money written on the parchment, and he signed it. The Goblin looked at the signature closely and tapped the parchment with his right index nail, which looked like a claw.

'Transfer completed,' the Goblin announced.

'Thank you,' Harry said.

'Is there anything else I can do for you, Auror Potter?' the Goblin asked.

'No, thank you,' Harry answered.

'Don't you want the new balance of your account?' the Goblin inquired.

'I don't really need it, but if it can save an owl a trip, you can give me a copy now,' Harry said.

The Goblin put a spell on a parchment to copy the latest data about Harry's account, and he gave it to Harry, who put it in his pocket with his Wizarding map of the Ministry and his badge.

'Thank you,' Harry said.

'No, thank you, Auror Potter. If you ever want to discuss investments, all you have to do is come here or send us an owl to go see you; all employees would be happy to help you make plans,' the Goblins said.

'Er… All right. Thank you. I'll think about it, and I'll have a look at my account over the weekend,' Harry said.

'Perfect, Auror Potter. If you want advice in Muggle investments, you can ask for me, I'm Claw,' the Goblin said.

'Thank you,' Harry said. He turned to Kate and said, 'Ready to go?'

She nodded.

Harry Apparated them back into the shop.

'If you check that everything's all right, I can call someone to take the boxes,' Harry said.

Kate brought the shop's computer back to life, and it showed that the three laptops had been paid for.

'Who are you going to call?' Kate inquired.

'Well… It just occurred to me that you've probably had enough magic for one day. I could call a Hogwarts house-elf, but if you give me a couple of minutes, I'll Apparate back to the Ministry, and I'll Floo home, and then back,' Harry said.

'Elf? As in the _Lord of the Rings_? Definitely call an elf,' Kate said.

Harry cast a spell requesting a Hogwarts house-elf to come help him. The one who answered and took the boxes back to Hogwarts wasn't one Harry knew, but he said that he'd put the boxes in Harry's room.

The elf was gone in a minute.

Harry looked at Kate and she looked so disappointed that Harry laughed heartily.

'Not funny!' she protested with a pout.

Harry kept chuckling as he looked at her. 'I haven't read the book, but I take it our house-elves don't fit the description,' he said.

She shook her head and started laughing heartily; Harry joined her, and they ended up hugging each other.

'Life's never boring with you around, Harry,' she said when she stopped laughing.

'I'm so glad you're not afraid and don't think I'm a freak,' he declared seriously.

'This is mad, but it's like being in a film, only for real, and you're not a freak. I wouldn't go to a pub with a freak. Who said you're a freak?' she asked.

'My aunt…' he sighed. 'Long story,' he added.

'Beam us to a pub, and tell me all about that silly aunt of yours,' Kate said.

Harry cast a spell on his clothes to have his robes look more acceptable in Muggle society, and then he took Kate's hands in his. An instant later, they were behind a Muggle pub near the Embankment station.

Harry began to summarize the story of his life to Kate while they were queuing to get drinks. The pub was packed since all the nearby shops and offices had closed for the day.

Harry had prepared a £20 note, and he let Kate order first; she chose a glass of white wine.

'And you?' the bartender asked Harry.

'The same,' Harry answered.

'Only if you've got some ID that doesn't look fake and says that you're old enough,' the man behind the bar said.

Theatrically, Harry patted his pockets and said, 'I've left my papers on my desk, but I understand your problem, and anyway, I'll have to escort the lady back home. Can you make me something colourful… with bubbles, please?'

The bartender was slightly surprised by Harry's reaction; he served them and kept an eye on them to make sure that they wouldn't trade glasses, which they didn't.

With a bit of luck, the couple found a table.

'Smooth lie, Harry. How old are you?' Kate inquired.

'I'm emancipated,' he answered.

'How many candles on your next birthday cake?' she insisted.

Harry sighed and caved. 'Eighteen,' he said. 'End of July.'

Kate blinked several times; she was twenty-two.

'Problem?' Harry asked.

She didn't say a word.

He leant closer to her and said, 'C'mon! Don't tell me you don't mind I'm a wizard, but you find me too young!'

'But you're not eighteen!' she said.

Harry told her everything he'd had to do in order to defeat Voldemort since he'd been told that he was a wizard.

'Kate, I'll have eighteen candles on my next cake, but… I'm much older than that inside. So… will it be an issue?' he asked gently.

'Okay, now I really need a bit of time to take everything in. All right?' she asked.

'Anything you want, Kate… You've got my phone number,' he said.

She nodded.

'Do you want another drink, or do you want me to beam you home?' he asked.

'Ta, but I'll take the tube,' she answered. 'Go home to your friends,' she added.

In the wink of an eye, Harry was alone at the table. He went to the gents and Disapparated to his office from there.

He sighed deeply and Floo'ed home.

He could have joined the others mid-dinner, but he decided to spell his laptop. He cast the Protection spell and charged the battery; then, he turned the computer on, and it worked perfectly. He followed the instructions, and it took him half an hour to do what needed to be done on the system.

Kreacher brought him a plate of sandwiches that he gulped down.

He decided that the first laptop would be the one he'd use for work; the one for himself, he'd spell later (probably next weekend), and he took the third out of its box and cast the spells before putting it back in the box.

Harry took a big piece of parchment and wrapped up Hermione's gift. Thanks to the Marauders' Map, Harry saw that Minerva was heading to their quarters, and that the Snapes were already in theirs… with the three Malfoys.

Harry took the present for Hermione, and he headed towards the dungeons. En route, he told Minerva what he'd done that evening, and where he was going.

'You can use the computer that's already spelled if you want,' he said.

'What would I do with it?' she wondered.

'There are games,' Harry pointed out.

Curiosity won, and Harry would find Minerva playing Solitaire on the laptop when he'd come home in an hour.

For the moment, Harry went to surprise the Snapes.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	24. Chapter 24

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Harry was grinning when he knocked on the door. Severus opened it.

'Trick or treat?' Harry said.

'I can offer you tea,' Severus answered.

'Perfect! I hope your guests won't mind…' Harry said. He smiled at Severus's surprised look and added, 'And I have a present for you two… It's a bit more for your wife, but I bet you'll love it, too.'

'Thank you… Harry,' Severus said, deeply surprised, as he opened the door wide.

Harry smiled and walked in. 'Good evening!' he said genially.

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy tensed a bit, but they remembered that they were safe here.

'I hope I'm not interrupting anything,' Harry said.

'We were just congratulating Professor Snape on her new job,' Draco declared.

Harry looked at Hermione, and she said proudly, 'I've just received my contract by special owl delivery. It's _official_… I'm the next Muggle Studies teacher.'

'Congratulations… again! I think I was inspired. I've found a little "thank you" present that's going to help you do your job,' Harry said as he gave Hermione the wrapped box.

She looked at her husband and the Malfoys, and the four seemed curious about the mysterious present. Severus shrugged and summoned another cup for Harry.

'Open it, or our eager Auror will spill his tea, shivering with anticipation,' Draco said.

Harry sat down next to the blond on the armchair, glaring at him, and he took the cup Severus handed him.

Hermione ripped the wrapping parchment open and gaped. 'A laptop?' she said.

Harry nodded fervently and said, 'I've got one for work, too. The spells I used to protect and charge the mobile work on laptops, too. You can have fun with yours… and use it in your classes.'

'It works?' Hermione squeaked.

Harry grinned. 'Turn it on,' he said.

Hermione got the computer out of its box, located the "on" button and pushed it.

Lucius and Draco almost expected the device to explode, but the Muggle computer whirred to life.

'Impressive,' Narcissa said.

'Expensive,' Lucius commented.

'It's just a laptop; I've got a lot of birthdays and Christmases to make up for,' Harry said.

'I know nothing about Muggle items, but the _spell_ must be quite expensive,' Lucius declared.

'Eh?' Harry said, blinking.

'Oh, please! Don't tell me you don't know why Flitwick deposited a patent in your name,' Lucius said.

Harry kept blinking.

'Why?' Hermione asked to help her friend.

'Using Muggle appliances is going to be classified as a luxury, and those who want to use Potter's spell will have to pay. I'm surprised the Gringotts Head Goblin hasn't offered to marry him,' Lucius said, joking about the marriage proposal.

'There can't be that many people interested in using Muggle phones and computers,' Draco said innocently.

Narcissa glared at her son and sighed, clearly (and truly) disappointed.

'Oh!' Hermione exclaimed.

Lucius looked at her and saw that she'd connected the dots; he looked at Severus and said, 'Astounding consort.'

'She's my _wife_, and she can knock you out, with or without magic,' Severus declared proudly.

'Professor Snape?' Draco asked Hermione.

'Oh, hell! Call me Hermione outside of class or it's going to get really confusing,' she told him.

Draco nodded.

'Okay, can you explain for the slow ones, please?' Harry asked her.

'There are a few specific varieties of magic, but the most important spells are common to the entire Wizarding community throughout the world, only the languages change. When Professor Flitwick deposited a patent in your name, Harry, your spell made it to the general corpus of spells. The war has just ended here, but the other countries aren't in disarray; people have certainly already found your spell. This is going to be a revolution!' she said.

'Oh, my! The balance!' Harry exclaimed.

'What?' Draco said.

'When I paid for the computers, a Goblin insisted on giving me my new balance, and I thought it was because I'd transferred money to the shop,' Harry said.

He fished for the parchment in his back-pocket and read how much money there was in his vaults. The account showed figures before and after the patent; Harry was so surprised to have nearly doubled his amount of Galleons that he slid next to Draco, who was thus able to see the balance at the bottom of the parchment.

Draco whistled.

'Draco! You weren't raised in a barn!' Narcissa growled.

'But, Mother, I'm almost tempted to ask him to marry _me_,' Draco joked.

Harry looked at Draco, growled a bit and punched the blond's arm lightly. 'Not funny!' he protested.

'Come on, Potter! You're going to be even more of a target for witches now. The dashing war hero-turned-Auror with a fortune,' Draco teased him.

'_Not_ funny!' Harry said again.

Draco smiled at him.

'You won't have to worry about anything now,' Narcissa said kindly.

'I have more than enough money to stop working, but I love my job… and as your son suggested, I'm going to be a moving target for witches,' Harry said.

'And a few wizards,' Draco added.

Harry looked at him and blinked again.

'I was just joking, but you should be prepared for wizards hitting on you, too,' Draco explained.

Harry groaned and put his forehead on Draco's shoulder.

'There, there, Potter, I'm sure the Snapes can help you devise a strategy,' Draco said.

Harry looked at Severus and Hermione.

'Tell the Goblins to be quiet about your account, or you'll transfer most of your money to a Muggle bank,' Hermione said, as she pressed a few keys.

'Always threaten them with what would hurt most,' Severus added.

Harry nodded and said, 'Excellent strategy… and I could use it at work, too.'

'Of course,' Narcissa said gently.

Harry smiled at her.

'Why didn't you join us at the High table?' Lucius inquired.

'It took me a bit of time to buy the computers, and I wanted to test the spells on mine before I gave Hermione hers,' Harry said.

'And?' Lucius said.

'That's it,' Harry answered.

Draco looked at Harry and said, 'You're blushing, Potter.'

'No, I'm not!' Harry protested.

'Well, you are _now_,' Draco gloated.

'You know that I can handcuff you, right?' Harry told Draco as he turned a bit to have a better look at his chair neighbour.

'Quiet, boys!' Hermione said as she turned the computer off.

Harry and Draco chuckled, and Harry told him, 'There's nothing to add, really.'

Before Draco, or Lucius, could add anything, Hermione asked, 'How do I charge the battery?'

'The mobile's battery is ten times smaller, at least, and I used the spell on it first. When I have to recharge that one, I'll come by to see how your laptop's doing. Okay?' Harry said.

'I could cast the spell again if it needs power,' Severus pointed out.

'Would it renew my original spell?' Harry asked.

Hermione sighed and glared at her friend.

'What?' Harry said.

'The answer is "yes", and I'm going to give you a list of books to read, because you should know that… if you'd listened in class, that is. Your spell is no ordinary spell, and it can be cast "on repeat",' Hermione said.

'Simple way to say it,' Lucius whispered.

Hermione turned to him and said, 'Well, if he doesn't know how special his spell is, the odds are that telling him it's a wiederholt spell won't help much.'

Narcissa looked at her son and said, 'You're taking Muggle Studies next year.'

'I was planning to, Mother,' Draco declared.

Harry looked at Severus and said, 'If you don't have to pay for the spell, you can recharge it, too, of course. I didn't find this for Hermione to have you give me money… and I'm really not sure I'm happy about this. Being able to use Muggle things shouldn't be a _luxury_.'

'We're not _supposed_ to mix with them, Potter,' Lucius said.

'That's stupid. There are some good things that we can borrow. Imagine that your wife is in China and you need to talk to her about something important, but you can't leave the country, can't send a house-elf… or _Draco_; now you can phone her,' Harry said. 'There are possibilities. I may not know – yet – what a wiederholt spell is, but I know when something's going to make my life easier,' he added.

Lucius looked at Harry with a bit more respect.

Harry turned to Hermione again and asked, 'Will you help me locate the books I need to catch up and to become a good Auror?'

'I can type you a whole list,' Hermione said. 'Oh!' she exclaimed.

'Something wrong?' Severus asked worriedly.

'Well, I'll have to _write_ Harry a list on parchment,' she answered.

'No, you won't. Type your list, and I'll get you a printer, and I'll ask Kate if there's a way to connect our laptops to the Muggle Internet. That way, you could e-mail me,' Harry said. He flinched and said, 'I hope Kate will still do business with me.'

'What happened?' Lucius asked, smirking a bit.

'Long story,' Harry said curtly.

Narcissa put her cup down and said, 'We've had a long day, Lucius. We should retire to our quarters.'

Lucius knew when to obey his wife.

Harry and Draco put their cups down, as well.

The Malfoys were the first to leave the Snapes' quarters.

'I'll do some shopping for you tomorrow,' Harry said. 'God! I'm so happy that you're here now.'

'I could buy what Hermione needs. After all, we'll need to go buy her a few items of clothing,' Severus said.

'Don't go to London until the decree has been widely advertised, and don't leave Hogwarts without your elf!' Harry ordered.

Severus smiled and nodded.

'And I'll take care of the electronics,' Harry added.

'Who's Kate?' Hermione asked with a small smile.

'Cute Muggle. She's the one who sold me the mobile and the computers. She's not afraid of magic, but she finds me too young,' Harry explained, sighing deeply.

'She doesn't want to see you anymore?' Hermione asked.

'She said she needed to think about the situation,' Harry admitted.

'Give her a few hours, Po… Harry. She's got to make a few important choices. It's not going to be easy for the girl who'll date you… and more,' Severus declared.

Between his name and his fortune, any girl dating Harry would make quite a lot of people jealous.

Harry nodded.

'I'll probably see you at dinner tomorrow. Go get some rest,' Harry said, as he walked towards the door.

'I'm not tired!' Hermione protested.

Closing the door, Harry said, 'I was just being polite, and not mentioning what you can do alone together.'

Harry closed the door; there was no sound for a moment, and then Severus and Hermione laughed merrily.

Harry swirled around and found himself face to face with Draco, who was leaning against the wall nonchalantly.

'Who's Kate?' the blond asked.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	25. Chapter 25

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Harry shrugged and said, 'A Muggle.'

He hoped that Draco would leave it at that.

'What happened?' Draco inquired.

'She's a Muggle; what do you care?' Harry pointed out.

Draco looked a bit sad, and he shrugged. He pseudo-nonchalantly pushed his shoulder from the wall and took a step towards the entrance to the Slytherin Common room.

'Don't be silly, Malfoy,' Harry said.

Draco sighed and confessed, 'I was trying to be nice and make amends, Potter. Even most Slytherins are no longer talking to me, and I must say it's a bit tough… and Pansy's gone.'

'Did you really like her?' Harry asked, taking a step towards Draco.

Draco sighed again and shrugged. 'I'm not sure, but she was way more challenging than Crabbe and Goyle. You and the Weasley girl?'

'You got an hour before curfew. Fancy a walk outside?' Harry suggested.

Draco grinned and nodded.

The two young men left the castle and walked towards the greenhouses.

'You'll be a really good Auror,' Draco declared.

Harry snorted and said, 'I'm just cautious. I didn't want to say anything important inside; you never know who's hiding and spying on you there.'

'As I said, good Auror in the making,' Draco said.

The two young men sat down, side by side, on a fallen tree.

'You got caught in all this trying to make your dad proud,' Harry stated.

Draco nodded and said, 'Silly, isn't it? I could have become a murderer or got killed for a madman to make my father proud.'

'It's many things, but silly isn't the first that crossed my mind. I quite understand. I might not approve, but I had it easy; I was on the side of the good guys from the start,' Harry said.

'Thanks, Potter,' Draco said warmly.

'Hell, use my name!' Harry said with a chuckle.

Draco smiled a bright, true, happy smile. 'What do you say we forget the Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry, my recent stupidity, and everything in between, and we start over?' he suggested.

'I'll ask Mrs Snape to punch you if you behave like a twat. Deal?' Harry asked, holding his hand out.

Draco shook hands with him, chuckling.

They looked at each other, and after a short, awkward moment of silence, Draco said, 'The Snapes are quite something.'

Harry nodded and said, 'I never suspected that Hermione loves him.'

'No one suspected that Snape had a heart,' Draco murmured.

'He's good at hiding who he really is,' Harry said.

Draco nodded fervently. 'They're a good match,' he said.

'They're perfect,' Harry agreed.

'If they found each other, we can hope to find someone, too,' Draco said. He grinned and said, 'So, Kate?'

Harry, who was in desperate need of a mate his age, shared everything with Draco.

Draco nodded several times once Harry was done talking.

'What?' Harry inquired.

'Can I be blunt?' Draco said.

'Nothing's stopped you before,' Harry pointed out.

Draco grinned. 'Well, maybe your age isn't really what's bothering her, and she just doesn't want to be the one having to teach you everything,' he said.

It took Harry a few seconds to realize what Draco was implying; then, he spluttered.

'That's a possibility,' Draco said gently.

Harry groaned, blushed and nodded.

'Does your guardian have books on the topic? I know there's nothing in the Library,' Draco said.

'I… I don't know,' Harry said. 'And I'd be too embarrassed to search her bookcases!' he added to be honest.

'I could lend you mine if you want,' Draco said.

Harry gaped and blushed.

'I don't mind… as long as I get them back,' Draco said. 'Why don't you come get them?'

'Look, let's face it, I'm lonely, too, and the new you's a decent bloke, but if the students see us together, your dad is going to ask me to marry you,' Harry pointed out.

Draco made a face and said, 'I don't mind blokes, but I really prefer witches. You've got a point… What do you say I come to your room under my Invisibility cloak?'

Harry blinked a few times and a feral grin spread on his face. 'Now, you're talking, Malfoy. That Slytherin side's good to plan stuff; I'll have to ask Sev to help me do that,' he said.

'Hell, use my name,' Draco said, using Harry's earlier line.

Harry smiled.

'You can read thoughts,' Draco stated.

'What makes you think so?' Harry inquired as he got up.

Draco followed suit and said, 'With our past, there's no other way you'd invite me like that.'

'Or maybe I mesmerised you,' Harry joked.

Draco shook his head, smiled and said, 'Whatever it is, thanks, Harry… Next year will be a lot less awful with you around.'

'Well, Ron betrayed me, and Hermione has better things to do… but I swear I'll have her punch you if you go back to what you were when Umbridge was here,' Harry swore.

'I was drunk on power… and I hadn't properly met Lord Pompous Prat yet. I was an idiot, but I've changed; all I want now is quiet,' Draco said.

Harry nodded.

They walked back to the castle, each wizard lost in his own thoughts (and Harry invading Draco's from time to time). They agreed that Draco would go to his room, get the sex books, put on his magical cloak and join Harry by the main staircase.

Harry was chatting with a lady in a painting when he felt a silky material brush against his hand; he said goodbye to the lady and went upstairs with Draco.

When Harry opened the door, he found Minerva entranced by the laptop, and clicking like mad as she was playing.

'Having fun?' Harry asked merrily.

Minerva looked at him and said, 'I found the games. I'm playing Solitaire. This is addictive.'

'It's a healthy addiction,' Harry said. 'Have fun with it!... Do you know how to turn it off?'

'No, show me, please,' she said.

Harry walked to her and showed her what to do.

'You can go on playing, you know,' Harry told her.

'I think I'll finish this game, thank you, and you can take Mr Malfoy to your room. You can bring guests, you know,' Minerva said.

Draco squeaked under his cloak, as Harry laughed heartily.

Harry kissed Minerva's cheek and held out his hand to Draco, who took it and revealed his face.

'Good evening, Headmistress,' Draco said politely.

'We didn't want the students to get the wrong ideas,' Harry explained.

'Good idea. I've got an elf tagging Miss Weasley, but she's certainly not the only student with an agenda,' Minerva declared quietly.

'Things will quiet down in the summer,' Draco said.

'And we'll get fresh blood come September,' Harry added.

Minerva nodded and said, 'By the way, I'm planning to have the school letters sent by the end of the week, so that the families all know that the next school year will be normal.'

'Perhaps I should warn my Muggle instructor that his son's going to be over-excited very soon,' Harry said.

Minerva smiled and nodded.

'Good night, Min!' Harry said as he dragged Draco to his room.

The two young men closed the door behind them, Harry cast a Silencing charm, and they laughed heartily.

'How did she know I was there?' Draco asked.

'I bet the school Heads have special spells… or they know more magic than us. Dumbledore knew where I was, even when I was hiding under my Invisibility cloak,' Harry explained.

Draco nodded, took off his cloak and handed Harry three books.

'What are the good chapters?' Harry asked.

'Everything after the introductions is good. I wasn't sure what your limits were, so there's a bit of everything; you'll see,' Draco said.

Harry sat on his bed and patted the spot next to him; Draco joined him.

'Limits?' Harry squeaked.

'Yea, you know… fun stuff in and out of bed, techniques, spells, things about witches… and wizards,' Draco said.

'Not funny!' Harry protested.

'I wasn't joking, Harry. It's a possibility, and if you want to know what to do, you'll find everything in those books,' Draco said.

'Oh,' was all that the now blinking-like-a-surprised-owl Harry could say.

'I'll head back to my dorm before your guardian takes points from my house, and Snape uses me as a potion ingredient for it,' Draco said, as he got up and put his cloak on again.

'I'll see you tomorrow evening then,' Harry said.

'Yes, and I'll hide my cloak in my pocket… in case you'd like another chat outside,' Draco said.

'Good idea,' Harry said enthusiastically.

'Happy reading, Harry, and good night!' Draco said, opening the door.

'Thanks! Night, Draco,' Harry answered.

Harry opened the first book, and he didn't hear Draco leave. The books were full of Wizarding pictures, and the young wizard was devouring the pages.

While Harry read about the theory (and while Draco had unexpected dreams), the Snapes were having _tea_.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	26. Chapter 26

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Hermione snuggled against Severus, who grinned.

'What?' she said with a merry chuckle.

'Nothing,' he lied.

She tickled him lightly, which made him chuckle again… and cave. 'The four-poster has potential,' he said.

She laughed merrily and said, 'I thought you'd say that _tea_ the Muggle way isn't that bad.'

'It's delicious,' he said holding her closer to his chest.

'I hope my magic comes back soon… The spells we used the first time… There's a lot more, isn't there?' she said.

'There are books. I could go buy a few, and you could read about the theory,' he suggested.

She nodded fervently.

'Dyann might be right about your magic,' Severus said softly.

'Considering what Curby did to me, it's rather to be expected. It's a bit strange and somewhat annoying, but now that we're here, I really feel better,' she told him.

Severus kissed her lips and said, 'I want you to be happy.'

'I _am_ happy,' she said with a bright smile.

'Perfect,' he said happily.

She snuggled even closer.

'Harry's gift was very thoughtful,' he declared.

She nodded and said, 'Yes, and thanks to him, I'll be able to plan the best Muggle Studies lessons that this school's ever had.'

Severus smiled and said, 'I think that Harry's spell might have unexpected consequences.'

'It'll be nice to have a little revolution,' she said.

'We'll have to keep an eye on him, or he'll end up in odd situations… again,' Severus said.

'He's good training for our future children,' she whispered, falling asleep.

Severus chuckled, agreeing with her and surrendering to sleep, as well. He realized what she'd said and asked, 'Children?'

'Yes! At least two. I hated being an only child,' she murmured.

He held her, agreeing with her again.

They fell asleep, and Weniers intensified the Protection charm around them.

.

.

At dawn, Harry woke up. He realized that it'd _really_ take him a bit of time to get used to life after the war and not having to be up at the crack of dawn.

He decided that it'd be better for him to hide his secrets on his new laptop (not many people would be able to access it). He went to retrieve it in the parlour, cast the spells to make it work, and he typed a few spells from Draco's books that he found interesting.

Then, he prepared for work, and when that was done, he phoned James Nettle.

James was in the shower, and it was Henrietta who answered. Harry explained that he was calling just to tell them that Danny's Hogwarts letter would reach them by the weekend. The witch was grateful for the warning; she told Harry that James would certainly phone him later (he liked the idea of helping the young wizard become a good officer of the law).

It was only after Harry had told Henrietta goodbye and closed his phone that he realized that he could have told her that he'd need a few tips about his new equipment (and James might have some good Muggle ideas that Harry could adapt).

Harry banged his head on the table where he'd been working.

'That's bad for the head,' Minerva said, as she exited her room.

'I forgot to ask Henrietta something when I phoned,' Harry said. He smiled at his protector and added, 'Good morning to you, too.'

Minerva walked to him and kissed his brow.

'Good morning, Harry,' she said. 'Call back, or not, but stop hitting your head.'

'You're right, Min. It can wait, it's just that I wish I thought faster,' he admitted.

'You haven't had tea yet, and you're learning,' she said.

Harry smiled at her. She snapped her fingers, and Kreacher answered her instantly.

'Our dear Harry needs breakfast, and a spot of tea for me would be nice,' she said.

Kreacher smiled and was gone.

A Post owl landed on the windowsill and tapped on the glass.

Minerva took an owl treat from the bowl next to Harry's laptop and went to retrieve the post. The owl gave her the letter, took the treat and left.

'Oh, it's for you… from Gringotts,' Minerva said.

She handed Harry the letter.

Without his noticing it, Harry groaned as he broke the seal.

'Expecting bad news?' she inquired kindly.

'No, not really, but I really hope that the Head Goblin doesn't want to marry me,' he said.

When Minerva blinked, Harry explained the joke with the Malfoys the night before.

'So, what news?' she asked, as he read the letter.

'The patent is making so much money that the Head Goblin wants to help me invest my Galleons,' Harry said.

'Whatever you decide, you shouldn't go make a deal with the Goblins alone,' she said.

'I don't want to bother you. You've got so much to do,' he protested.

She blinked a few times and said, 'I wanted to recommend a specialist to you, but I'm ready to go with you if you trust me.'

'Of course I trust you!' he exclaimed.

She beamed and said, 'Then, we'll have to go see those Goblins _together_.'

Harry grinned.

She gave him a small smile and said, 'I don't want you to think that I'm trying to replace your mother.'

Blushing, Harry said, 'I know you're not my mum, but you're my Min.'

Minerva beamed at him.

'Look, Min, if it were not for you, I'd be Merlin knows where, I wouldn't be an Auror trainee, and Sev and Hermione…' Harry had to stop when he imagined what might have happened to the Snapes if Minerva hadn't been here to allow him some freedom.

She wrapped her arms around him and she murmured, 'I should have kept you.'

Harry moved a bit in order to be able to hug her, and he said, 'You've got me now, and I've got you.'

She hugged him once more, and they smiled again. Kreacher came back then and deposited a tray in front of Harry.

'Thanks!' Harry said, salivating at the delicious smells coming from his plate.

'You're welcome, Auror Potter,' Kreacher said.

Harry tucked in.

Minerva took her cup of tea and said, 'Thank you, Kreacher.'

'You're welcome, Headmistress,' the house-elf said.

'Kreacher?' Minerva said.

'Headmistress?' he said with curiosity, having sensed something different in her voice.

'How would you like to accompany Harry and me when we go to Gringotts to discuss a few things with the Goblins?' she asked.

Kreacher grinned, which was a bit frightening. 'I'd be honoured, Headmistress,' he answered.

'Perfect, I'll call you when Harry decides to go,' she said.

Kreacher bowed and disappeared back to the kitchen.

'A house-elf to help us with Goblins?' Harry said, his mouth full.

'Oh yes, that's even better than any solicitor,' she declared. 'Oh, and I know the Dursleys were awful, but I don't want you to behave as if you were raised in a barn. Don't talk with your mouth full… You're not a cow!'

Harry swallowed and said, 'Yes, Min, you're right.'

She smiled at him, and she noticed his smile that bloomed into a grin that exploded into uncontrollable laughter.

'Harry?' she asked with a small smile.

Harry's laughter was contagious.

He managed to stop laughing and explained, 'When you teach me to become an Animagus, it'd be hilarious if I were to turn into some bovine… oh, and I hope I wouldn't turn into a _cow_… Bit of the wrong gender, don't you think?'

Minerva laughed heartily at that, and conceded that the gender wasn't right.

'I wonder if I'll have to register,' Harry said as he polished his plate with his last piece of toast.

'I don't see why the law would be different for Aurors,' she pointed out.

'It'd be an advantage if I were able to become an Animagus, but no one knew. I'll have to ask Minister Shacklebolt if it could be kept secret,' Harry said.

Minerva nodded proudly and said, 'You see; you've got good ideas once you've had breakfast.'

Harry smiled at her.

'Now you might want to put Mr Malfoy's books away,' she said. Before Harry could blush, she added, 'He's got good taste in books. He might become a good friend, I think.'

'It'd be nice,' Harry admitted.

'If he keeps acting more like Narcissa, we may have hope for Master Draco,' Minerva said.

Harry smiled, rushed to his room with the books, which he placed on his bedside table, and went back to the other room.

'I'll Floo to work. I'll see you tonight… give the Snapes a kiss and a hug,' he said as he gathered his work laptop and his Auror manual.

He walked to the fireplace and took a pinch of Floo powder.

'Have a nice day, Harry!' she said as he disappeared in green flames. She chuckled and said, 'I wonder how Severus would react if I were to kiss him and say it's a message from Harry.'

She was still chuckling when she went to the Great Hall for a proper breakfast.

On her way there, she saw Hermione in a school uniform and chatting with Luna.

'Good morning,' Minerva greeted the two witches, who greeted her warmly.

Hermione saw that Minerva was looking at her robes.

'Luna came to see me with a change of robes,' Hermione explained.

'I just spelled my house crest back to a Hogwarts crest,' Luna said.

'That's very thoughtful, Miss Lovegood,' Minerva said.

'Things were being said about Hermione's state of dress. I had to do something,' Luna said.

'Your kindness deserves house points,' Minerva said.

Luna shook her head.

Hermione chuckled and said, 'Severus tried to give her points, but she growled at him.'

Minerva smiled, picturing Severus's face at that moment. 'Miss Lovegood?' she said.

'I cannot accept points for doing what's right for a friend,' Luna protested.

'Quite the contrary. Ten points to Ravenclaw,' Minerva declared.

Luna blushed, and Hermione hugged her.

'Now… breakfast,' Minerva said.

The two witches nodded. Hermione walked with Minerva.

'How did you convince Severus to leave you for a moment?' Minerva asked as she saw that her Deputy Headmaster was already sitting at the High table.

'I told him to check how many house-elves are tagging me,' Hermione said.

Minerva was forced to chuckle.

'He also wanted to plan a surprise shopping trip for me,' Hermione added. Minerva opened her mouth to protest, but Hermione went on, 'Don't worry, we'll go to Hogsmeade.'

'You just need a few new robes. You can go shop wherever you want soon,' Minerva said.

Hermione nodded.

Minerva smiled at her and said, 'I'm happy that we've found you. I hope that we'll work together for a long, long time.'

Hermione hugged her boss and mentor, who beamed happily.

'Breakfast, young lady. You need it,' Minerva said.

They'd reached the High table, and Minerva squeezed Severus's shoulder.

'Because I eat for two?' Hermione said.

'No, because you're bony,' Minerva deadpanned.

This time, Severus was the one chuckling, and Hermione was the one looking like an owl with ruffled feathers.

'She's a bit right,' Severus whispered softly.

There was so much mischief in his eyes that Hermione melted on the spot, sat down, and started piling food on her plate.

Minerva went to her seat, smiling. She discreetly looked towards the Gryffindor table and saw that Ginevra was very careful to not look at the High table; she knew that the young witch had to be planning something.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	27. Chapter 27

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Minerva ended up noticing that Luna was observing Ginevra, which was _very_ interesting. She decided that a friendly talk with the Ravenclaw witch about her future might be enlightening.

Then, Minerva turned her attention back to her colleagues.

'I hope you're planning to have this land on _your_ plate,' Hermione was hissing at her husband, who had a spoon in his hand.

'Yes, of course, I was just trying to see how it looked over your plate,' Severus answered, lying through his teeth.

'Good, because I don't need to be stuffed. I'm many things, but a goose in Gascony isn't one of them,' Hermione growled.

'Noted,' Severus said softly.

Minerva and Professor Sprout traded looks.

Hermione leant over the table and said, 'Um?'

'It's been a long time since we last had a couple working here,' Sprout explained.

'It was brilliant!' Irma Pince chimed in.

Hermione and Severus looked at each other and smiled.

Hermione looked at Minerva again and asked, 'How am I to plan my days?'

'Your class needs to be completely re-shaped. You'll need to prepare your lessons. When you're ready, we could have something to welcome the students who'll want to take Muggle Studies next year,' Minerva said.

'I can have something ready next Monday,' Hermione declared.

Minerva smiled and said, 'Perfect. I'll have an announcement ready.'

'Do you have a schedule in mind for me?' Severus asked Minerva.

'We just need to keep the students busy and to try to help them catch up after what was taught, or not, to them recently, but you can't teach both Defence and Potions to all students,' Minerva answered.

'Except if I teach both together,' Severus said. 'It's only for just over a month,' he pointed out.

'Can you do such a thing? After what happened to you…' Sprout asked, obviously worried that he'd overwork himself so soon after being brought back to life.

Instead of glaring, one corner of Severus's mouth rose and he said, 'It'd be a way for them to get a bit of both, and I wouldn't have to prepare them for exams.'

'And perhaps I could help with the youngest,' Hermione added.

Severus turned to her and said, 'You'll need time for your own classes.'

Hermione chuckled and said, 'I already know what I want to teach them, and I'll have to kidnap Harry to go on a shopping trip in London next weekend. You know that I can help with the theory in both Potions and Defence.'

He paled and pointed out, 'Yes, but if any of them was to miscast a spell by accident, or _not_, you can't defend yourself.'

Hermione froze; for one moment, she'd forgotten her magical problem. 'Oh,' was all that she said.

'I'm sorry, it's just too dangerous,' Severus said.

She sighed but said, 'You're right.'

Severus took her hand and squeezed.

'You'll have to not overdo it,' Hermione said. 'I know Dyann gave you a clean bill of health, but you can't do too much… I need you,' she admitted.

Severus felt his heart beat faster. 'I'll give them a few tests, and I'll check their theoretical knowledge.'

Hermione smiled at him.

'What will you need for your classes?' Severus asked her.

'Well, the laptop is going to be very helpful. I can already do a lot with it. I'll need books, and documents to show the students who have no contact with Muggles what the Muggle world is like,' she answered.

'Can you really wait for the weekend? I could protect you if you want to go to London,' he said.

'I can wait. I'll get used to my new computer,' she said.

'I'm sure Potter would escort us,' Severus declared.

'He's in training,' Filius Flitwick intervened.

The Snapes turned to him.

'Kingsley is teaching him himself,' Filius said.

'How do you know?' Hermione asked, her curiosity piqued.

'I heard it through the Ministry grapevine when he went there for Harry's patent,' Filius said.

'Speaking of the patent, you'll certainly get a nice Christmas present to thank you,' Hermione said.

'No need for that, my dear Hermione; I merely did something to protect Harry's interests,' Filius said.

Severus nodded and said, 'He's got good instincts, but we'll have to help him catch up in a few more technical areas.'

Filius nodded, and Hermione grinned.

'Dearest?' Severus said.

'Well, he said that he'd read what I'll recommend him,' Hermione explained with a wide grin.

'He's already started reading a lot,' Irma Pince said softly, joining the chat.

'Really?' Hermione asked excitedly. 'I never could get him, or Ron, interested in any book.'

'Harry's changed,' Irma murmured.

'He was really worried about us,' Severus stated.

'Understatement, Severus,' Filius said.

Irma emitted a squeak of some sort.

'Madam Pince?' Hermione said, turning towards her.

'No, nothing,' Irma tried to lie.

Hermione let it go, but she decided to have a chat with Irma later.

'Oh, you don't mind if I come to work in the Library with my new Muggle equipment, do you?' Hermione asked.

'I hope I can watch,' Irma said.

'Of course,' Hermione answered instantly, adding a wide smile for good measure.

Irma just smiled.

Severus looked at Filius and said, 'So, our new Minister is training Harry himself.'

'Apparently, Kingsley wanted it to be a secret, but you know how things work,' Filius said.

'Just like here, where not much stays secret,' Minerva intervened.

'Harry will get very good training,' Filius declared.

They all agreed.

Right then, the morning post arrived. Minerva, Severus and Hermione saw Pigwidgeon bring Ginevra a letter.

The young Gryffindor witch read the note that Ron had sent her, and she grinned. It was such a strange facial expression that it made Hermione shivered.

'Nasty feeling,' Hermione whispered.

'Ronald told her that their plan is working well,' Severus murmured into her ear.

Hermione looked at her husband; she was happy that he was spying on Ginevra.

'What else?' Hermione asked.

'I'll go with you to our quarters, and I'll carry your laptop to the Library,' Severus said, a bit louder this time.

Hermione played his game and asked, 'Will you help me carry the books I'll borrow?'

'You can ask Weniers,' he said, getting up.

'Afraid that I'd empty half the Library?' she asked, following him.

'Only half of it?' he joked. He turned to Minerva and declared, 'I can have a possible schedule ready in half an hour. Will you be in your office?'

Minerva nodded.

Severus smiled and left to go back to the dungeons.

'What's going on, Sev?' Hermione asked as they walked side by side.

'I merely want to help you carry your things to the Library,' he lied.

She pretended to laugh.

'So, when are we going to shop? I can't borrow Luna's uniforms every day,' she said.

'We could meet at five in the staff room, and we could Floo straight into the pub and go to the shop,' he said.

'It's a date, then,' she told him.

'If we go on dates, you'll have to help me. I must be rusty,' he said with a smile.

'And I've got everything to learn. We'll be fantastic,' she said merrily.

Severus laughed at that, scaring a few Slytherins who were in the corridors.

'Bit too much before morning tea,' Draco mumbled as he walked past them.

The Snapes smiled at that, walked into their quarters, and Severus cast a Silencing charm.

'What's wrong?' Hermione asked him.

'It seems that the little weasel overheard you talk about your parents the other day. I'm sorry, Darling. Do you want me to contact Shacklebolt?' he asked.

Hermione took a deep breath and asked, 'What did you see in her thoughts?'

While he shared with her what he'd seen, she gathered her laptop.

'So?' he asked when he was done.

'Well, if my Memory-charm holds, my parents are safe, and Ron can do nothing – and honestly, I don't think he's a match for me. However, if he gets some help, they'll remember who they really are, and I'll get my parents back. I think Ron can't do much,' she said.

'If he wants to hurt you, there are many spells that he could use against your parents. I'll try to contact the Minister for Magic,' Severus declared, as he walked to their fireplace.

However, Kingsley's secretary refused to help Severus, which angered him a lot.

'What an incompetent twat!' Severus growled as he put an end to the Fire-call.

'Floo to Harry's office,' she suggested.

He took a pinch of Floo powder, and she said, 'I'll go to the Library. See you at lunch.'

'Just… Be careful,' he said.

She kissed him and walked to the door.

He Floo'ed straight to Harry's office and found himself face to face with Kingsley.

'Good morning, Severus. I thought you were supposed to stay in Hogwarts until your role in ending the war was widely advertised,' Kingsley declared.

'Good morning, Minister. Something happened, and your charming secretary refused to help me,' Severus explained.

Harry, who'd been showing Kingsley how to start the laptop, growled.

'I'm going to promote her to the Archives!' Kingsley spat. 'What happened?' he asked. Severus explained what happened with Ginevra's post, and what he'd seen in her thoughts.

'I'll twist the collective arms of the Wizengamot to have the Unforgivables made illegal again. Don't worry,' Kingsley said.

'I don't think that'll stop Weasley,' Severus pointed out.

'I can go see the twins and ask them to keep an eye on Ron. I'm sure they'll be delighted to help,' Harry said.

'Do that, but ask only Fred to get involved. There's nothing we can do against him if Molly were to do something to protect Ron… provided that he'd try something against the Grangers,' Kingsley declared.

'If Ron and Ginny are still bitter and still plotting, we can expect the worst,' Harry pointed out.

Kingsley was forced to agree with his Auror trainee.

Harry went to see the twins in their shop, Kingsley went to replace his bigoted secretary, and Severus Floo'ed back to Hogwarts, and straight to Minerva's office.

She was already waiting for him and asked, 'So, what's going on with Weasley?'

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	28. Chapter 28

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'Miss Weasley eavesdropped on us when Hermione mentioned her Memory-charmed parents in Australia. I'd let my guard down, and I didn't spot the girl,' Severus said, ending his explanation with a sigh and sitting down in front of Minerva.

'Severus, you died… Your bonded brought you back to life by a miracle, and you've been through a _lot_. You were supposed to be safe here, and that little weasel is acting like a brat because she doesn't like you and because her idiotic brother is jealous. Don't beat yourself over what Weasley discovered,' Minerva declared.

Severus sighed again and asked, 'Because you're not beating yourself?'

Minerva half-glared at that. 'Because of what happened to Harry, or because of what happened to you, do you mean?' she asked.

'Me?' he wondered.

'I believed you'd betrayed us. I didn't trust you,' she said sadly.

'You weren't supposed to. If the Dark Lord had read your thoughts, he'd have killed me a lot sooner than he did,' Severus explained.

She shook her head stubbornly and said, 'I should have believed in you.'

'We can start a new and honest relationship now,' Severus said.

Minerva nodded slowly. 'I was still too young when Albus sided with Sirius,' she whispered sadly. She looked at Severus and added, 'I should have known better when he left Harry with the Dursleys.'

'I could have volunteered to protect the boy,' Severus pointed out. 'Petunia might have been nicer then, but what's done is done,' he declared philosophically.

Minerva was forced to agree.

When she chuckled, he said, 'Minerva?'

'Harry's over a month older than your adorable wife,' she pointed out.

'That's only making reference to their dates of birth. Hermione is more mature than your Harry,' Severus said.

Minerva nodded.

'I'll have to find something nice for her birthday,' Severus murmured, lost in his thoughts all of a sudden.

Minerva smiled; Hermione was, for Severus, everything the wizard had never had.

He looked at her and said, 'I _know_.'

She smiled, knowing, feeling, that he'd read her thoughts. 'Severus, do you think I'm too old to learn Legilimency?' she inquired.

Bluntly, he answered, 'As long as you've got a pulse and you're breathing, you can learn.'

'Would you teach me?' she asked.

'Only if you agree to teach Hermione to become an Animagus when her magic is back,' he said.

'We have an agreement, my dear Deputy Headmaster,' she said.

'Perfect, Headmistress,' he told her.

'Now, what do we do about Miss Weasley?' she asked.

'Well, I'm tempted to recommend that we ask Miss Lovegood to help, but that would be unethical, and useless, since she's certainly going to keep an eye on her charming schoolfellow,' Severus answered.

Minerva laughed softly at that.

'I'll watch the girl myself, if you agree. She won't expect me to be so direct,' he added.

She nodded several times and said, 'Of course, you can watch her. You're the school Deputy Headmaster, and it's your job to make sure that this school is safe for everybody.'

Severus's grin was feral.

Minerva nodded once and said, 'Now, what about your schedule?'

Severus smiled and told her how he planned to cover for Potions and Defence for the students until the end of the current school year.

.

.

.

There were no students in the Library when Hermione arrived.

'Quite deserted,' she whispered to Irma as she joined the librarian.

'This is rather unusual,' Irma explained.

Hermione looked around.

'You can go everywhere now… without hiding,' Irma told her new colleague with a small smile.

'Where do you want me to sit?' Hermione asked.

'Wherever it pleases you,' Irma answered.

Hermione deposited her computer on the table closest to the librarian's desk and the magical catalogue.

'I'll have to bother you when I need to find a book,' Hermione said.

'You'll need help just for a few weeks, or months, and you'll _never_ be a bother. I like you; you're more than just a fellow bookworm,' Irma declared.

Hermione smiled warmly. 'Thank you,' she said.

Irma pointed her right index to the laptop and asked, 'So, is this the gift?'

Hermione nodded and said, 'Why don't you join me if you've got a bit of time?'

Irma grinned and left her parchments and catalogue files.

Over the next minutes, Hermione introduced Irma to her Muggle computer.

Irma was looking at the screen when Hermione asked, 'Why did you react so strangely when we mentioned Harry?'

Irma flinched.

'Tell me, _please_,' Hermione insisted.

'What happened during and after the battle changed him. He was _desperate_ to find you,' Irma explained.

Hermione shivered.

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned this,' Irma said.

'No, not at all. I can take it,' Hermione told her. She gave her a small smile and went on, 'So, Harry was really worried.'

'Did you see what he invented to locate you two?' Irma pointed out.

Hermione nodded fervently and added, 'He gave me a very thoughtful gift, as well.'

'It must have been a way to celebrate finding you,' Irma suggested.

'Sev hinted that Harry wasn't his usual self when he joined us in St Mungo's, and Dyann told me how he reacted when that stupid Curby attacked me,' Hermione said.

Irma sighed and said, 'I really don't understand people. That need to hurt others; that's such a waste of time and energy.'

'Petty people have small minds,' Hermione declared.

Irma smiled at that and said, 'Oh, I hope you'll spend a lot of time here. I'm really glad that Minerva hired you.'

'The dungeons aren't that far; you can come by for a nice cup of tea… and when my parents are back here, I'll be able to retrieve my Muggle books, and I just bet you're going to love a few of them,' Hermione said.

Irma's eyes started twinkling as if she were related to the late Dumbledore (when he was high on sugar).

'Really?' Irma asked eagerly.

'Yes, of course,' Hermione said with a chuckle.

Irma beamed, which made Hermione smile.

Irma looked at her younger colleague and grinned.

'What?' Hermione asked with a small smile.

'I was just thinking about your husband,' Irma explained.

'What about Sev?' Hermione inquired.

'You're quite an extraordinary couple. I'd never have imagined that you'd be interested in each other,' Irma said.

Hermione grinned and admitted, 'It was quite a surprise when it happened, but it's the one thing that makes sense in my life.'

Irma nodded.

Hermione spotted something in her colleague's expression; the librarian looked dreamy.

'I realize that I don't know if you have a family,' Hermione said.

'I married twice. I had two sons with my first husband; the kids are twenty-eight and twenty-seven and live in Eire. I divorced their father; my second husband died ten years ago,' Irma explained.

Hermione took in what Irma had just told her.

Before Hermione could say anything, Irma asked, 'Do you want a son or a daughter?'

Hermione put a hand on her belly, where a few cells were multiplying. 'I don't know. I'm not sure. Dyann said that if my magic doesn't come back before I have the baby, we can't know if it's a boy or a girl… I think I'll just be happy with a healthy baby,' she said.

'And?' Irma said with a grin.

Hermione chuckled and said, 'I think I'd like a mini Severus, and I bet he'd like a daughter.'

Irma chuckled at that.

'You'll have to start a list of names,' Irma said.

Hermione pointed a finger at her head and winked.

'There's a book about the history of Wizarding names. Would you like to borrow it?' Irma asked.

'Yes, please!' Hermione answered eagerly.

Irma went to retrieve the book, and Hermione began to work on lesson plans.

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The rest of morning was quiet.

The Minister for Magic "promoted" his secretary to the Archives (a _very_ quiet sub-section of the General Archives), and he discreetly advertised the fact and hoped that the Ministry personnel would stop acting like brats and work as civil servants serving the public.

Thanks to an old law that Kingsley knew, a tenth of the members of the Wizengamot was contacted for an emergency session, and they voted to make the Unforgivables illegal again. This was a good thing for the country, but Kingsley had the odd feeling that it was already too late for the Grangers.

The last thing Kingsley did before a well-deserved late lunch was to contact his colleague, the Minister for Magic in Australia. Minister Claudia Prem promised to send a local Auror to look for the Memory-charmed Grangers.

Harry's morning was quiet, too. Mostly.

Fred and George were bubblier than usual, which made Harry very happy. Telling them what happened and asking them to help didn't take him long.

What took Harry a bit of time was the burglary that he witnessed in Knockturn Alley. Instead of stopping the two wizards committing the crime, he followed them and arrested them in their nest, where he found proof of many other burglaries. It took Harry two hours to cast spells on the loot in order to locate the rightful owners; it was the first time that he used his laptop for work, typing the list of stolen objects while the two culprits were in cells.

Right after his late lunch, Harry realized that he needed to be able to print his files. He donned his Muggle clothes and went back to Kate's shop.

She blinked when she saw him, but he grinned and said, 'I need printers now.'

She saw that he was here for business, and she helped him as best as she could. He ended up buying only one printer because he needed to find a way to power it… and he might have to invent something, again.

Kate and Harry worked together quite efficiently, and Kate quite liked Harry's maturity in the situation. Before he left, she hinted that she might call him soon to check that he'd chosen the right printer.

Harry went to see DCI Nettle next. He hoped that the Muggle might have some idea to help him power the printer. Harry ended up in a police car, getting a lesson in strategy (since James was on the trail of Muggle criminals), and being given addresses of DIY shops where Harry might find some help with diesel generators.

Around tea time, Harry went to Hogsmeade. One of the Hogwarts house-elves had hopped by to tell him that the Snapes were about to go shopping; with their track records, Harry thought that it'd be better to keep an eye on them (and it was his primary job by ministerial order, after all).

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[Next part as soon as possible]


	29. Chapter 29

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

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/One reviewer tried to contact me, but left no way to answer the message (if you want an answer, e-mail me!).

I've been away, nursing a painful nerve and hoping for some e-hugs. I should be back for good…/

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Harry Floo'ed to the Three Broomsticks and almost collided with Severus, who was holding Hermione by the hand and chatting with Rosmerta.

'Harry?' Hermione said.

'Hi! Got any idea to power a Muggle printer?' Harry said, turning on the "lost puppy act" for Hermione's benefit and resorting to Occlumency to hide his thoughts from Severus.

'Why have you come to Hogsmeade about _that_?' Severus inquired. He was somewhat suspicious.

'My Muggle instructor gave me a few addresses for Muggle shops in London, but I need something to connect the two now. I don't fancy having to invent something else… though I'll do if I have to, but I'd really like to be able to print what I typed today before the next millennium,' Harry explained.

'What did you type?' Hermione inquired with curiosity.

'I arrested two burglars!' Harry declared proudly.

'Nice work!' Rosmerta said.

Hermione let go of her husband's hand to hug her best friend.

'Not bad, Po… Harry,' Severus said.

Harry beamed at the older wizard and said, 'I know it's my job, but it felt great to stop those criminals… and I was able to trace all the rightful owners of everything they'd stolen!' Harry explained.

Severus smiled, and Hermione hugged Harry again.

'I was planning to try to find something magical that I could use, or some idea that could work before heading home,' Harry said. He looked at Severus and said, 'You know a thing or two about Muggle appliances. Got an idea?'

'You created the spell that powers your telephone and computer. I'm sure you'll find a way,' Severus answered.

'So you've got no idea,' Harry pointed out smugly.

Severus grinned at that and admitted, 'No.'

Harry turned to Hermione and tilted his head.

'All I can think of is using your spell on a Muggle generator and getting it connected to a Muggle plug where you can then put your printer plug,' Hermione said.

'Not as magical as I'd wish. I'll have to delve into Muggle DIY,' Harry said.

'Muggle _what_?' Rosmerta asked.

'Do-it-yourself. It's a big Muggle pastime, building stuff, home improvement… Things like that,' Harry explained.

'No fun without spells,' Rosmerta said.

'You've no idea!' Harry exclaimed.

'Would you like some tea, Harry?' Rosmerta asked.

'On my way back, if you don't mind, I'd like to check a few shops before they close. May I Floo home from here?' Harry asked.

'Of course, dear,' Rosmerta said. 'I'll have the kettle ready whenever you come back,' she added.

'Brilliant! Just tea, though, or Min and the house-elves will never believe that I had a snack, and they'll all feed me,' Harry said.

Rosmerta chuckled and nodded.

'I understand the feeling,' Hermione whispered.

Harry winked at Hermione, and Severus fought with himself not to growl (it was only one spoonful that he'd tried to add to his wife's plate).

'Perhaps we'll Floo back to Hogwarts together,' Harry said.

'If you want to keep an eye on us, we'll be buying Hermione some new clothes,' Severus declared.

Harry grinned and said, 'I'm not here to spy on you. You're more than capable of defending your wife if anyone tries anything weird. If that were to happen, I'd come to clean the scene, but I can assure you that I have some shopping to do… and yet, now that you mentioned clothes, perhaps I'll catch up with you once I'm done doing that thing I want to do.'

'Rather lame, Harry. What is it you're pretending you want to do?' Severus asked.

'I promised Tommy I'd give him some gifts for his dog to thank him,' Harry lied with a bland voice.

Harry knew that he wouldn't find a thing to power his printer in Hogsmeade today, but he could buy things for Max and repay his debt to Tommy.

Severus paled.

'Sorry… I didn't mean to upset you,' Harry apologized.

'No, you're… _I_ am sorry, Harry,' Severus said.

'We should thank them, too,' Hermione said, lacing her fingers with her husband's. 'They kept us warm, and the dog was very sweet.'

Severus nodded and turned to Harry, as he asked, 'Would you mind if we were to go with you?'

'Absolutely not!' Harry answered, smiling happily.

Inside, Harry was doing some sort of happy dance because Severus was offering to stay with him, where Harry could help instantly if someone tried anything against either Snape.

'If we go buy clothes first, we might be able to go see them before dinner,' Severus said.

'I'd like that very much,' Hermione said.

'Hermione?' Severus said.

'Tommy was very, very kind, and Max was nice,' Hermione whispered.

Severus squeezed her hand. 'Perhaps we should go now,' he suggested.

'I'll have tea ready, but if you Apparate straight back to school… I'll have tea ready tomorrow,' Rosmerta said.

Hermione beamed at the witch.

Hand in hand, Severus and Hermione walked out. Once outside, Harry walked next to Hermione (if anything happened, Severus and he would be able to protect her).

There weren't many people on the streets as they walked, but the sight of Severus Snape caused a few odd reactions.

The three reached the clothes shop. By chance, the shop was empty, and the seamstress could take care of them immediately.

It was easier to deal with Harry first, since she could cast spells on Harry. Within just a few minutes, Miss Malkin, the cousin of the seamstress in London, had sent an order to her team to make Harry a new set of Wizarding robes in a shade of green to compliment his eyes.

Then, Miss Malkin turned to Hermione.

'What would you like, Mrs Snape?' Malkin asked.

'I need a school uniform,' Hermione said.

'And robes,' Severus intervened.

Hermione swirled to face him, but he spoke before she could growl at him, 'You're not me. You can't be planning to wear your school uniform all the time. What about when we want to go out?'

'What about you?' Hermione asked.

'I'll let you choose something different for me if you want,' he said.

Hermione chuckled and said, 'Sorry about the growling! I quite like the way you dress…'

She was interrupted by Harry, as he whispered, 'You've got to be the only one.'

They all turned to him.

'I did that aloud again, right?' Harry asked rhetorically.

Malkin's soft laugh and the Snapes' glares were the only answers he got.

'As I was saying,' Hermione went on, 'I quite like the way you dress as a wizard, but we'll have to do something about Muggle clothes.'

Severus nodded.

'I can't help with those,' Malkin said.

'Too bad… You know, perhaps you should consider having a few selections of Muggle clothes in your catalogue,' Hermione said.

'I know! If you can convince my cousin, I'll be on your side,' the young seamstress declared.

Hermione smiled.

'Now, what style of uniform would you like?' Malkin inquired.

The next minutes were spent discussing patterns and colours for what would become Hermione's uniform and her first robes as a married woman.

Malkin took a Muggle measuring tape and was about to start working on Hermione when the seamstress spotted something outside. She took her wand, aimed it at a mirror and cast a Petrifying spell.

Outside, the wizard who'd been aiming at Hermione to cast a charm on her was petrified on the ground and scared to death.

Malkin gave him a good kick in the groin and yelled, 'Jarso!'

A very young house-elf arrived.

'Mistress?' Jarso asked.

'Take _that_ to the Ministry and make sure he's taken straight to our Minister. I'm sure he'll be delighted to meet him,' Malkin said.

Jarso grinned, planted claw-like nails into the wizard's arm and dissolved into thin air.

'Whoa!' Harry exclaimed.

'Sorry, Auror Potter… that was your job,' Malkin said.

'No, it's… it's okay. Quite impressive!' Harry exclaimed.

'Indeed! Thank you!' Hermione said.

'Were you expecting something like that to happen?' Severus inquired.

Malkin shrugged and said, 'I have an allergy to stupidity.'

Her three patrons blinked at that.

'Literally,' she explained. 'I was able to spot him, thanks to that odd feeling that I sometimes get,' she added.

'Whoa!' Harry said again.

'It must be tough sometimes,' Hermione pointed out.

'Yes and no,' Malkin said, her voice trailing off.

The seamstress's small smile intrigued the two wizards.

Hermione smiled and said, 'Helpful when you want to find the right date, is it?'

Malkin chuckled and said, 'Oh, yes!'

Harry and Severus traded looks; they knew better than to say anything.

Malkin used her Muggle tape, and just a few minutes later, the order for Hermione was sent, as well.

'You can come pick up your orders here, or I can have them delivered,' Malkin told them.

'I might not be able to come back during work hours,' Harry said. 'Would you have mine delivered, please?'

Malkin nodded.

'Will Hermione's be already spelled?' Severus inquired.

Malkin glared at him and said, 'Robes for a witch, especially a pregnant witch, are _always_ spelled beforehand, Professor.'

Harry managed to avoid a potentially unpleasant exchange when he asked, 'What spells?'

'The robes are going to adapt to my size by magic,' Hermione explained.

'That's brilliant!' Harry said. 'That's one of those things about every day magic that I'll have to learn.'

'You've got time now,' Hermione said.

Harry smiled.

'What do you prefer for the delivery, Hermione?' Severus asked his wife.

'Let's have Weniers come and get the robes. It'd be silly to take risks,' Hermione answered.

'All right, but I don't want you to have to hide and stay indoors because of bigoted twats,' Severus told her.

'I think I might have an idea that could help. I'll tell you all about it after dinner,' Harry said.

'All right,' Hermione said.

Harry turned to Miss Malkin and asked, 'By the way, how do I pay you?'

'You'll find the invoice in the box, and you can send it to the bank; the goblins can transfer the money for you,' Malkin explained.

'Thank you. I figured things would be different now that I'm no longer a student,' Harry said.

Malkin smiled at him. She'd heard them talking about buying food for a dog, and she told them, 'The grocery is going to close soon. If you don't want to have to go to London, you probably should dash over there.'

They bid Malkin goodbye and headed to the store where they found the perfect thank-you present for Tommy's Max. It was a bag of dry food that contained enough food for a whole month and was no bigger than a kilo of flour.

From the shop, they agreed to Apparate straight under the bridge.

'Crickey!' Tommy shouted when he saw three people appear suddenly.

'It's us,' Hermione said softly.

'Miss Hermione!' Tommy said.

'Actually… it's Mrs Snape,' she began to say.

She walked to him and told him everything about them, about magic and about what happened to them, and why they'd appeared under that bridge.

Tommy wasn't afraid, and Max liked the three visitors, which was enough for Tommy.

Harry gave Tommy the bag of food for Max.

Severus noticed that Tommy looked really relieved to have food for his dog. He read the homeless man's thoughts and saw that McKenzie had stopped coming to help Tommy; everything would be more difficult for Tommy now.

'Harry, stay with Hermione. I must Disapparate to our house for a moment,' Severus said.

Harry snorted, as Severus left.

'Funny power,' Tommy said, getting used to magic.

Harry and Hermione chatted with Tommy.

'You've lost a pet,' Tommy told Harry after observing him pet Max.

Harry sighed and nodded.

'I'm really sorry, Harry. It's really tough when they go,' Tommy said sadly.

'Is Max all right?' Hermione inquired.

Tommy shrugged and said, 'He's been a bit under the weather, but with the food you brought for him, things should get better.'

Severus came back with a box that he'd spelled to contain more than seemed possible, and he'd filled it with supplies generated by his Emergency spell.

Tommy was about to protest, but Severus glared and said, 'We might have died without your help.'

'Please,' Hermione said.

Tommy caved and accepted the gift.

'Severus, you must make a contact coin for them,' Hermione told her husband.

Severus trusted her completely, and he didn't even ask what her plan was. He took a Knut from his pocket and cast a spell on it, and then he gave Hermione the magical coin (he knew that Tommy wouldn't accept it from him, because it'd be another gift).

'I want you to have this,' Hermione said, handing Tommy the coin. 'If you knock it three times and you say my name, we'll know that you need us to come see you.'

'But…' Tommy started to protest.

'It's for Max,' Hermione said as she put the coin in Tommy's hand.

Tommy gave her a watery smile.

'I'll hop by in a few days,' Harry said.

The visitors left Tommy and Max so that they could have a proper meal in quiet. It was already a bit late, but they agreed to Apparate to the gates of Hogwarts and walk to the castle.

When they reached the door, Narcissa Malfoy was waiting for them.

'Come quickly! You're being called to the Ministry. The Headmistress is already there,' she explained.

'Is it because of the man who tried to attack Hermione?' Harry asked.

'No… The Grangers are there. They demand the bonding's annulment,' Narcissa explained.

Hermione almost fainted.

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[Next part as soon as possible]


	30. Chapter 30

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

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'Darling, it must be a trick,' Severus said.

'He's right. Someone must have undone your Memory-charm on them,' Harry said.

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded.

'Lucius disagrees with me, but I'll go with you if you want. If the Grangers were cursed, I might be able to help you spot it,' Narcissa said.

'Kreacher!' Harry called.

The house-elf arrived instantly.

'I need my cloak,' Harry said.

Five seconds later, Kreacher was already back from Harry's room with the Invisibility cloak. Harry took it, nodding at Kreacher to thank him, and he wrapped it around Hermione's shoulders.

'But, Harry…!' she began to protest.

'Your parents are Muggles, but who knows into what kind of trap you could be walking. You'll come with us because we know there's no way you'd stay here, but I'll do anything I can to protect your baby,' Harry said.

'It's not your fault if Curby hexed me,' Hermione protested.

'But it's my fault that I arrived almost too late,' Harry said. 'Now, be a good witch, and hold hands with your husband,' he added.

Hermione squeaked, but did as she was told.

Harry looked at Narcissa and said, 'Your husband might have a point.'

Narcissa grinned and said, 'Thank you, Auror Potter, but I'd like to help. I'll hex if anyone attacks me.'

'And the lady can hex,' Severus murmured.

'All right, let's go find out what happened to Hermione's parents,' Harry ordered.

Severus was about to protest; Harry swirled towards him and instinctively projected a thought that somehow invited Severus to shut his mouth (in more colourful terms). Severus smirked.

'Oh, shut up!' Harry said, glaring at his best friend's husband.

'Repeating yourself, Potter?' Severus joked.

'Stop it, boys, or I'll bite,' Hermione said.

It was really a bit weird _just_ to hear Hermione's voice and not see her.

The four of them went to the nearest fireplace and went to the Ministry in London. The Minister's new secretary was waiting for them in the atrium.

'Isn't Miss Granger with you?' the witch asked.

Hermione planted her nails in her husband's hand, making him hiss, and allowing Harry to step in for his friend.

'_Mrs_ Hermione _Snape_, or she'll hex you to the next millennium when her magic comes back,' Harry said.

'Her parents are demanding an annulment, and there's nothing that can be done,' the secretary said.

Harry snorted. 'Yea, and people used to tell me that I'd never defeat Voldemort… There's always a way. Let's go to the Grangers now, shall we?' he said.

The secretary gasped at the mention of the Dark Lord.

'Minister's office?' Harry asked.

The secretary nodded.

The Snapes, Harry and Narcissa walked towards the heart of the Ministry, with the slightly stunned secretary in tow.

Harry knocked on the door to Kingsley's office.

'Come in!' shouted Kingsley.

Harry opened the door for the three visitors. He closed and locked the door behind himself when he saw that there were only the Grangers and Minerva with the Minister.

'I'm delighted to see you here,' Kingsley said.

'Where's Hermione?' Minerva inquired gently.

'Where is my daughter?' Mrs Granger asked sharply.

Hermione squeezed Severus's hand; she knew that there was something wrong because her mother _always_ said that she was _their_ daughter.

'Who lifted the Memory-charm that Hermione cast on you to protect you?' Severus asked.

'You're the Death Eater who corrupted my little girl!' Mrs Granger said.

Severus looked at his mother-in-law and then at Hermione's father, who was crying in silence.

'You can fight the Imperius even if you don't have magic,' Severus declared.

'Keep in mind that you don't have to do things you don't want to do,' Harry told the Grangers, following Severus's lead.

Mrs Granger stuttered, as if she were truly fighting a curse.

Mr Granger kept sobbing.

'Narcissa?' Hermione whispered urgently.

Narcissa hummed to indicate that she'd heard her.

'Do you think a shock might help them?' Hermione inquired.

'It'd have to be big,' Narcissa pointed out.

Hermione squeezed Severus's hand and got out from under Harry's cloak.

She moved to face her parents and said, 'You should have been safe where I sent you. I'm sorry that someone found you and cast spells on you.'

'Hermione, did you marry that man?' Mrs Granger asked, pointing a finger at Severus.

'Yes, Mum… He's the best thing that ever happened to me, and we're going to be a family,' Hermione said.

'We were told that he got you pregnant. You can't keep that thing. I will _not_ allow it,' Mrs Granger said. 'There must be spells to get rid of that mistake.'

'No need for magic, Mum,' Hermione said, as she took a very sharp letter opener on Kingsley's desk and put it in her mother's hand. 'You gave me life, you can take it back. Slit my throat, because without Severus, I'm as good as dead,' she declared.

Time seemed to slow down as Mrs Granger fought against the spell that was forcing her to ask for the two things that'd kill Hermione.

'No!' Mr Granger gasped, freeing himself at last.

Mr Granger put his hand over his wife's and said, 'She's our baby, and she knows what's best for her… She's _our_ daughter.'

Mrs Granger wailed and finally dropped the letter opener.

'Mum?' Hermione said.

Mrs Granger opened her arms, and she hugged her daughter.

'We were cursed, Baby,' Mrs Granger said, crying.

'Mr and Mrs Granger, did you see who cast the spells?' Narcissa inquired calmly.

'No… One moment I was Wendell Wilkins, and the next, I remembered that I'm William Granger, and I have a daughter fighting a war against a lunatic in England,' Mr Granger said.

'By the way, _Monica_…?' Mrs Granger scolded her daughter.

'I kept the initial, Mum,' Hermione said.

'Harry, would you please call Dyann? The Grangers need Wizarding medical attention,' Severus said.

Harry quickly looked at his boss, who nodded. Harry went to the fireplace to Floo to the hospital.

Mrs Granger looked at Severus, and then at her daughter and said, 'I'd like to know what happened.'

Kingsley invited them all to sit down. In spite of the appropriate number of seats, Hermione elected to sit on her husband's lap; her parents traded looks at that.

'You should be the one telling the story,' Minerva told Hermione.

Hermione nodded, and she brought her parents up to date with all the events since she'd Memory-charmed them.

Hermione was explaining what Curby had done to her, and why she had to be protected with special measures when Harry came back with Dyann.

Mrs Granger looked at her daughter's husband and she asked Hermione, 'Are you sure he's a good choice?'

Hermione looked at her mother and said, 'Mum… I brought him back to life because if he's not here, then… _nothing's_ worth it. After the last battle, I didn't think about you or my friends or anyone… Just Severus and me, and…'

Mr Granger took his wife's hand and said, 'We understand, Hermione.'

Mrs Granger smiled at her husband and added, 'It's just that we thought you'd get involved with someone like Ronald or Harry.'

'Whoa! Leave Harry out of the conversation, thank you,' Harry said. 'And Ron turned into a dangerous twat who might well be the one who told whoever found you where Hermione had sent you to protect you.'

The Grangers looked at Hermione and Severus, who nodded.

'Will you do anything to protect Hermione?' Mrs Granger asked Severus.

'Mum!' Hermione exclaimed.

'He'd die for her,' Dyann stated.

'How do you know that?' Mrs Granger asked.

Dyann smiled and said, 'His magic came back to protect her.'

'When will Hermione's magic come back?' Mr Granger inquired.

'In the next two seconds, or after you become grandparents. There's no way to know,' Dyann said. She turned to Hermione and asked, 'How do you feel?'

'Fine,' Hermione answered.

'It must have been stressful to fear that your bonding might be dissolved,' Narcissa pointed out.

Hermione almost snorted and then said, 'I was a nasty surprise for a few seconds, and then I remembered that it can't be dissolved.'

'There are laws, Hermione,' Kingsley said.

Hermione chuckled.

'Oh!' Harry exclaimed.

Since they all looked lost, Harry said, 'By ministerial decree, no magic can be done on Mrs Snape.'

Kingsley blinked and told Hermione, 'If you don't like being a teacher, you can come work at the Ministry.'

'I think I'll like it at Hogwarts,' Hermione said.

Kingsley laughed softly.

Dyann took Hermione's pulse and was satisfied with Hermione's reactions. She looked at Severus, but a slight nod from him informed her that he'd already cast a silent Diagnosis spell on himself and that he didn't need her service.

Dyann turned to the Grangers and said, 'I'd like you to come with me. I must make sure that whoever attacked you didn't hide other spells in you, and I must document everything that was done to you for the trial.'

'I was hoping that we could spend time with Hermione and… Severus,' Mrs Granger said.

'We can do that, but the proof of Dark spells can disappear rather fast. Besides, I'll need a bit of time to go to your house and restore what Hermione hid when she sent you away,' Severus said.

'Too dangerous,' Kingsley objected.

'I could do it,' Harry said.

'Thank you, Auror Potter, but I have a full Department of Muggle Accidents to keep busy. I'll send someone to Healer Fille's surgery to get the details from Mr and Mrs Granger and make sure that their house and place of work are safe for them,' Kingsley declared. He looked at Dyann and asked, 'How long will you need?'

'If there are no complications, no more than an hour,' she answered.

'Well, I'll leave someone with you, and if Minerva agrees, the Grangers could be Hogwarts guests for the night,' Kingsley declared.

They all agreed to that.

'I'll stay with the Grangers. No need to ask for help here until we know who wanted to hurt Mrs Snape,' Narcissa suggested.

'I can't ask you to do that,' Kingsley protested.

'I'm offering to do it,' Narcissa said.

'Then, take my cloak for protection,' Harry said.

Narcissa smiled and said, 'Thank you, but I won't be needing it.'

Before Harry could even open his mouth to ask what she meant, she made herself invisible.

Dyann and Narcissa Apparated the Grangers to the hospital. The Snapes and Minerva headed to Hogwarts to ask the house-elves to prepare quarters for the Grangers.

Kingsley looked at Harry and said, 'Floo under your dad's cloak, and spy on the reactions when people are told that the Grangers are safe and sound and that Hermione is still Mrs Snape.'

Harry nodded.

'Come have a cup of tea with me tomorrow,' Kingsley said.

'Yes, Minister,' Harry said, donning his cloak.

'And nice work this morning,' Kingsley added.

Harry chuckled and said, 'Thanks, Boss! You'll have my report… as soon as I can find a way to print it.'

The Floo directions that Harry gave were drowned by the Minister's roaring laughter.

Kingsley calmed down and sent a message to the people who could help with the Grangers. It was a pity that Arthur Weasley couldn't be called in because of the possible involvement of two of his children.

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[Next part as soon as possible]


	31. Chapter 31

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

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It didn't take the house-elves long to prepare quarters for the Grangers… in Gryffindor Tower (Hermione was delighted that her parents were back in the UK and de-Memory-charmed, but that didn't mean that she was ready to have them spend time in the Hogwarts home that she shared with her husband).

Lucius Malfoy looked rather tense, but his wife arrived with the Grangers just as the first dinner course was being served.

Dyann, who'd gone back to the Ministry, had fully documented what had been done to the Grangers in order to break Hermione's spells, and then she'd given them a few potions before giving them a clean bill of health.

The Grangers were happy that the war was over, that their daughter was unscathed, and that she was to teach at Hogwarts.

Mrs Granger was sitting next to her daughter. 'Will you wish to see a non-magical GP?' she asked.

'Thanks, but Dyann, Poppy and Severus can take care of me, but speaking of Muggle doctors…' Hermione said, her voice trailing off on purpose.

'What, sweetie?' Mr Granger asked.

Hermione leant closer to her parents and whispered, 'You didn't tell me much about the birds and the bees… Not enough.'

Both Grangers sighed and looked at each other.

'We… thought we'd have more time,' her mother admitted.

'Silly timing,' her father added.

Hermione smirked and said, 'Umf, right…'

Mrs Granger looked at her daughter's plate and said, 'You need to eat more, love.'

Severus grinned.

Without even looking at him, Hermione said, 'Quiet, Sev!' She turned to her mother and said, 'Don't try to add anything to my plate! I know what I need.'

'She's right!' Poppy intervened before Hermione's mother could even open her mouth. 'It'd be very bad if she were to radically change her diet because she's expecting… and you know it.'

Mrs Granger was forced to nod.

Hermione looked at her husband, smirking.

Severus was forced to smile. His witch had completely changed his life, and he loved it. He hoped that his in-laws would wish to retire to their quarters soon after dinner; he wanted to spend some time with his wife… time that would hopefully include tea.

'I wonder where Harry is,' Filius said.

The teacher had found an old book that might interest the young Auror, and he wanted to ask him if he wanted to read it.

'Probably still at the Ministry,' Severus said.

'He's had a busy day… and not just with us,' Hermione added.

While the ones sitting at the High table discussed the training of one Harry James Potter, the young wizard was hiding under his father's cloak and was behind his ex-girlfriend, Ginevra.

Harry was already hiding when Minerva had announced that the Grangers would spend the evening at Hogwarts. Ginny had looked bothered, but maybe not as much as she'd have been if she'd been more directly involved in the attack.

Harry was disappointed that he couldn't resort to Legilimency while hiding under the cloak; he was convinced that he'd reveal his presence, and that wouldn't be a good job. Besides, he wasn't sure that he was allowed to use such a spell, even for work; he'd have to check his training manual.

Since no student seemed to really care if Mrs Snape's parents were to spend the night in Hogwarts, Harry walked outside the Great Hall, hid in a dark corner and got rid of his cloak, which he hid in an inner pocket that he'd spelled to hold more than it seemed possible. Then he joined the others almost mid-dinner.

'I was about to send the elves,' Minerva told him as he sat down next to her.

'Sorry, Min. Our dear Minister kept me busy, and I really have to find a way to print my files,' Harry said as he put food on his plate.

Filius mentioned the book he'd found, and he and Harry started an intense chat about spells that might help Harry.

The Grangers were busy getting to know their unexpected and unusual son-in-law. Soon, it became clear to Severus that his wife's parents would wish to keep talking for long hours after dinner; however, he noticed that Hermione looked as if she shared his mind and hoped that her parents wouldn't wish to follow them to the dungeons. They got some unexpected help from Poppy, who ended up recommending that the Grangers take something to sleep.

'Your bodies need to re-adapt to our time. We have no way to know – yet – when you were brought back here, but the time difference must be tiring you,' Poppy said.

'Besides, you have to fully recover from the magic that was done on you,' Narcissa added.

The Grangers agreed.

'We could take something after a cup of tea,' Mrs Granger said.

'Martha, we'll have a lot of work ahead; perhaps we should rest a bit first,' Mr Granger intervened.

Mrs Granger turned towards her husband and looked puzzled. It took her quite a few seconds to realize that her husband wanted to spend some time with _her_ now that their memories were back.

'Oh, yes… of course, and since I hope no one will alter our minds again, we've got time to discuss plans for our grandchild,' she said.

'Oh, no!' Hermione growled. Her mother turned back to her, and Hermione went on, 'You can start knitting as much as you want, but you're not making plans about our baby.'

Mrs Granger was about to protest, but Severus added, 'And try to avoid limiting yourself to pink and blue. It's annoying.'

Mrs Granger opened her mouth to say something, but Hermione drove in the last nail by saying, 'You don't want to be like Nana Anna.'

Mrs Granger gasped at the idea of turning, even remotely, into someone like her late mother-in-law, who'd been an absolute pain in the neck when Hermione was born (Hermione had heard enough stories on the topic when she was a little girl).

Mr Granger was forced to chuckle.

The end of dinner was very quiet.

Filius told Harry that he'd send a house-elf to bring him the book.

Mrs Granger hugged her daughter as Mr Granger shook hands with Severus; it looked as if Mr Granger was giving Severus a blessing of some sort. After bidding Hermione and Severus goodnight, the Grangers followed Poppy to the hospital wing in order to be given a few drops of Sleeping potion.

The Snapes fled to their quarters. It seemed that both were in the mood for _tea_.

The other teachers went to their quarters, and Minerva told Harry that she'd go back to her office for a moment in order to deal with some urgent paperwork.

The Malfoys seemed to be waiting for Harry.

'Yes?' the young Auror asked them.

'Narcissa told me you wanted to protect her. Thank you,' Lucius said.

Harry shrugged and said, 'It's my job.'

Gently, Narcissa said, 'There's more than that.'

'I didn't want anything bad to happen to you because you're Draco's mother. I was there when you did… you know what,' Harry said. 'I don't want him to lose you.'

Harry knew that Narcissa had been ready to do anything against Voldemort in order to protect her son… just like a certain Lily Potter. Harry had lost his mother, and he didn't want the same thing to happen to Draco (all the more since the new and non-arrogant Draco was becoming a rather nice bloke).

Narcissa held out her hand, and Harry shook it.

Ginevra snorted loudly, but a second later all the puddings on the plate next to her exploded, covering her in goo.

Madam Pince tried to find out who cast the spell, but she couldn't find it. She cast a Cleaning spell on the outraged Gryffindor, and the Librarian urged the students to behave.

Harry noticed that Draco was no longer in the hall, and he hoped that the Slytherin was outside, hiding under his own Invisibility cloak.

'I'd better leave, or I'll start chuckling madly,' Harry told the Malfoys.

Somewhat clumsily, Lucius took a step towards Harry and extending his hand, said, 'Since there are no more puddings next to Weasley, I'll take the risk of making her snort again.'

'You remember that if you try again something like what you did by putting the diary in her cauldron, or like the spell you wanted to use on me after I had you free Dobby, I can have your hide shipped to Azkaban, right?' Harry said.

Lucius nodded.

Harry shook hands with him. Now was a time to rebuild, not to keep old scores in mind.

'See you tomorrow!' Harry said joyfully.

'Don't work too much tonight!' Narcissa said.

Harry swirled to face her and said, 'Don't worry.'

In a minute, Harry was outside. The evening was a bit windy, and he shivered.

'Harry…' whispered Draco, hiding under his cloak to Harry's left.

Harry tried to look towards the sound and murmured, 'Let's go to my room, or we'll catch a cold.'

Draco followed his new friend.

Once at home, Harry cast a Silencing charm on the apartment.

'Already becoming paranoid, Harry?' Draco teased his friend as he took his cloak off.

'Not paranoid, but I don't want people to babble about us. Do you?' Harry asked.

'You've got a point,' Draco admitted.

'Tea?' Harry suggested.

'Yes, please,' Draco answered.

'My room?' Harry asked.

Draco nodded. 'Don't take this wrong; your guardian is a great witch, and she'll be a good headmistress, but I don't fancy having her hearing our chats,' he said.

Harry grinned, because Draco seemed to imply that this evening wouldn't be a one time thing. Now that Hermione was married and Ron and Ginny had blown a whole collection of fuses, it was nice to not be alone after work… and with someone his age.

The two young wizards went to Harry's room, from where Harry sent a spell to the house-elves in the kitchen in order to get some tea.

'Becoming a book-addict?' Draco teased Harry as he sat on his new ally's bed.

'Eh?' Harry said.

Draco pointed at the books that he'd lent Harry and that were on the bedside table, and at another pile that was next to those.

'Min caught me with your books; maybe she thought I needed to read about other magical things. I told her I'd…' Harry's voice trailed off.

'You want to become an Animagus,' Draco said.

Harry nodded and sighed, feeling silly for spilling the beans so easily.

'I'm not going to advertise it,' Draco protested.

Harry sat next to Draco and said, 'I know… It's just that I must be more careful. I trust you, but there could be people eavesdropping… in other circumstances… if I hadn't cast a spell.'

'Give it a day, Potter! You haven't even been an Auror for a month, but you want to be infallible. First, no one is, and then, give yourself a few weeks to learn the ropes!' Draco declared.

'Got a point,' Harry conceded with a smile.

Draco smirked.

Harry spotted a piece of parchment in the first book, and he took it.

'What does it say?' Draco asked.

'It's from Min. She says, "You can read about the theory of the Animagus transformation. I'll want that book back eventually. The other three are gifts for you." My, my, I wonder what she's found in her bookcases,' Harry answered.

Harry put the first book on the pile made by Draco's books, and he took the gifts.

'Holy mother of… something!' Draco exclaimed.

'Know them?' Harry asked, showing the three sex manuals.

'I've heard about them. I wouldn't mind reading them,' Draco said.

Harry handed him the first one and took the second. Draco was flabbergasted, but when he saw that Harry was beginning to read, he opened the book in his hands.

Kreacher saw how focussed the young wizards were, and he poured their cups. The boys thanked him without really registering what they were doing, and they didn't even finish their tea.

Kreacher was quite pleased with this new alliance.

'Look at that!' Harry exclaimed.

Draco leant over to read the spell that had Harry so thrilled.

'That one's rather nice,' Draco declared.

'I… don't get how to cast it,' Harry admitted.

Draco looked at Harry strangely. Harry tilted his head and waited for Draco to speak.

'I wouldn't mind showing you, but if it's cast… it's going to… well… work,' Draco said.

Harry blushed madly because he'd read what that spell did.

Harry was aroused, embarrassed, curious and eager, and then… he realized that Draco was blushing, too, and that he'd offered to cast it.

'Er… Draco? I wouldn't mind actually, but then… what?' Harry asked.

'Just that. A bit a fun… a bit of experimenting,' Draco paused. He took a deep breath and added, 'A bit of company until…'

'Okay,' Harry said.

In spite of a deep blush, Draco said bravely, 'We can't cast it here. Do you have an idea?'

'Room of Requirement?' Harry suggested.

'It must be unoccupied,' Draco agreed.

'When?' Harry asked.

'There's so much magic around here. We'll get caught unless we meet on Saturday, after lunch, when everybody's outside… or in Hogsmeade,' Draco said.

Harry nodded, agreeing (besides, that'd give him time to read a bit more about the spells in his new books).

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[Next part as soon as possible]


	32. Chapter 32

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Draco smiled, and Harry realized that he'd never really seen Draco smile before; that particular smile was innocent and truly beautiful.

Draco noticed that Harry was looking at him strangely. 'What?' he asked.

Harry shook his head.

'I'm not going to hex you. We're beyond that,' Draco protested.

'You… don't look bad when you're smiling and you mean it,' Harry said.

Draco grinned and said, 'Thanks, Harry.'

The two young wizards smiled at each other.

Draco looked at the floor and asked, 'Are you serious about Saturday afternoon?'

Harry nodded. 'Aren't you?' he inquired worriedly.

'No… No, I am,' Draco answered.

'Then, what?' Harry asked.

Draco cleared his throat and said, 'I'm not planning to marry you, or anything, but if we use _that_ spell… Well…'

Draco leant closer to Harry and before courage failed him, he kissed him.

'Oh…' Harry said.

'Sorry,' Draco apologized.

'No… It's okay… and you've got a point. I'm afraid I don't have much experience there either,' Harry admitted.

'You've got a _bit_ of experience, though, right?' Draco said.

'Oh, _yea_… I've kissed two girls. The last one… that was Ginny… About a century ago,' Harry explained.

'Oh, good!' Draco said, his wide grin clearly indicating that he was joking.

Harry chuckled and smiled. Draco wrapped an arm around Harry's waist, drew him towards him and proceeded to kiss him properly.

The books slid onto the bed as the young men kissed and kissed again. Harry knew that he was now lying on his bed quite under Draco Malfoy, and he didn't care one bit, because obviously Draco had a lot of non-theoretical experience and he was _quite_ good.

They'd both forgotten about waiting until Saturday afternoon, and Draco was attempting to divest Harry of his robes.

Then, the door opened, Minerva walked in, saying, 'Filius gave me the book he…'

She took in what was going on in her ward's bedroom and she froze, as did the two wizards.

'Merlin! I'm _so_ sorry!' she apologized.

'Don't apologize, Headmistress,' Draco said smoothly as he got up and helped a stunned Harry up, too.

'I should have knocked,' she said.

'If we'd been planning anything serious, we would have locked the door. It's just that your gifts gave us ideas,' Draco said, lying through his teeth.

Minerva was too flabbergasted to spot the Slytherin strategy.

'Well, I'd better be going to my room,' Draco said.

'Want to borrow a book?' Harry almost squeaked.

'With the people in my dorm? No, thank you. I'll come finish it tomorrow night,' Draco said.

Harry nodded fervently.

Draco winked at Harry and briefly squeezed his hand, which made Harry beam.

'Good night, Headmistress,' Draco said.

'Good night, Mr Malfoy,' she said smoothly.

In a moment, Draco was wrapped in his invisibility cloak and on his way to his room.

'I am _very_ sorry, Harry,' Minerva apologized once more.

'It's all right… and Draco was right about the door. We kinda got… inspired. Thanks for the books, by the way,' Harry said.

'You're welcome. I must admit that I didn't imagine you'd be interested in Draco, though,' she said.

'Tell me about it! Two weeks ago I was ready to reduce him to a pile of ashes, and now, I'm snogging him. It almost sounds like PTSD,' he said.

'PT what?'

'Post-traumatic stress disorder,' Harry said.

'Dyann would have noticed,' Minerva said.

'I was joking,' Harry explained.

'Oh.'

There was an embarrassed silence.

'You're not shocked, are you?' Harry asked.

She laughed softly and said, 'I'm no spring chicken, Harry. I've seen relationships of all varieties. The _only_ thing I want is you to be happy.'

He went to give her a hug.

She was still hugging him back when she said, 'And if you could remember to spell-lock the door, I'd appreciate it.'

'Yes, Min!' he promised.

'And make sure you read the books thoroughly before you do _lock_ the door. I don't want you to find yourself in an embarrassing situation,' she said.

'Yes, Min,' he said.

She handed him Filius's book and said, 'More reading.'

'Cool!' he said.

She kissed his brow and retired to her bedroom.

Harry was torn; he wanted to learn more about what he could expect when he started dating Draco, but he wanted to find a way to impress his boss and become a great Auror for his mum and dad. Reason won, and Harry started reading the book Filius was lending him.

While Harry's raging hormones were denied any fun, things were going on quite differently in the dungeons.

Of course, Severus had first made sure that his Slytherins were all where they should be (he'd have a word with Draco in the morning in order to make sure that he wasn't trying to take a revenge of some sort).

Then…

Severus went home. To his beloved wife.

Hermione was already in bed, in her birthday suit, and waiting for him.

She tried to cast a spell to undress him, but it didn't work, so he did it for her, and then he joined her.

'Perhaps when I'm more hormonal and I want you badly, then my magic will come back to spice things up even more,' she said.

He looked at her strangely.

'What?' she asked.

'Nothing… It just might work, that's all. I wonder if Dyann took that into account,' he explained.

'You can Firecall her tomorrow,' she said.

'Not right now?' he teased her.

'I have plans for you, Deputy Headmaster Snape,' she declared.

'Plans, Professor Snape… What kind of plans?' he asked, as he started caressing her collarbone.

Hermione grinned and manoeuvred until she ended up straddling her husband.

'Oh?' Severus said.

'Problem?' she asked.

'Not at all. I quite like your experimenting,' he answered.

She smiled and positioned herself on him in order to ride him.

Hermione and Severus both enjoyed the position, and quickly, they lay, sated, in each other's arms.

Severus was drawing patterns with his fingertips on Hermione's spine.

'Feels nice,' she purred.

'I love your ideas, too,' he admitted with a chuckle.

'Great thing we bumped into each other all those months back,' she said.

'Best thing _ever_,' he confessed.

She smiled and pecked his closest nipple.

Severus smiled at his wife.

'If you keep smiling like that, the students are going to have heart attacks,' she said with a wide smile.

'My oldest Slytherins will have to adapt,' he declared.

Hermione chuckled and snuggled against him.

'Draco might start freezing on the spot with surprise from time to time,' she said.

'I think he'll have some other fish to fry very soon,' he said.

'What do you mean?' she asked.

'If he repeats his seventh year, he'll want to get very good exam grades. As well, he might want to start dating again… unless his current plan backfires strangely,' Severus said.

'What plan?' she inquired.

'Harry.'

'Harry? Our Harry?' she wondered.

'Since when is he our Harry? Was he training for our baby?' he joked.

Hermione laughed softly and said, 'Well, he – and Ron – were excellent training.'

It was Severus's turn to laugh.

'So, Harry?' Hermione said.

'Our favourite Auror is now a decent Occlumens, but Mr Malfoy isn't, and I'd noticed that there was something odd between Harry and him. It seems that they're becoming friends,' he explained.

'And you think that they might end up becoming more than friends,' she stated.

'I've seen stranger things,' he declared.

She thought about what he'd just told her and scratched his ribs, lost in her thoughts.

'That tickles, dearest,' he pointed out.

She smiled and said, 'Oops, sorry.' She paused and added, 'I think they're both very, very lonely. Whatever happens won't last long.'

'I think you're right, but it will change them forever,' he said.

She nodded.

He began to caress her spine again and asked, 'How do you feel about your parents being back here?'

'I'm glad they weren't hurt by whoever undid my spells. That being said, I'll be happy to go see them from time to time, and I'm sure you'll come to like them, but my life is with you now. I made a choice the night I slept with you,' she answered.

Severus was a bit embarrassed and he held her closer in order to prevent her from seeing it.

'Tea?' she asked, her lips tickling his neck.

'Um… another cup sounds like a wonderful idea,' he agreed.

She rolled onto her back and waited for him to join her.

Even without magic, their second cup of tea was imaginative, slow, tender, and took them well into the other side of midnight.

At breakfast, Severus looked serene, and Hermione looked absolutely radiant.

Harry was finishing his breakfast when the Snapes arrived. He'd read the book Filius lent him, cover to cover, and he glared at Hermione.

'What?' Hermione growled.

'I'm turning into you!' Harry complained.

Before she could retort anything, Severus chuckled and deadpanned, 'There's still a lot of work ahead for you to be as pretty as she is.'

Harry blinked.

'And you'll have to read more than just one book,' Severus added.

Harry blinked again a few times and started laughing heartily.

'What's bothering you?' Hermione asked.

Both Snapes noticed the quick look Harry took towards the Slytherin table, where the most infamous blond hadn't arrived yet.

'Short night, that's all… and I still don't know how to power my printer,' Harry said.

Hermione and Severus could see that Harry really had a problem with his Muggle printer, but there was something else on his mind; it was obvious.

'You can ask my parents. Maybe they'll have an idea, you never know,' Hermione suggested, as she went to sit at her place.

Severus leant close to Harry as he walked by him and whispered, 'Come and see me in my lab if you need to talk.'

Harry looked at Severus as if to imply that he didn't want to bother him. In consequence, Severus glared, and then Harry nodded with a small smile.

Harry fought to not chuckle like Lockhart on a bad day because he was still interested in a Muggle girl, was about to date a Slytherin bloke and was planning to go see a wizard for advice – a wizard whom his dad had despised and hexed several times. Talk about mad!

And he _still_ needed to find a bloody way to power a Muggle printer, for Merlin's sake!

Life would never be boring.

Harry left the book at Filius's place, and he went to Floo to work.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	33. Chapter 33

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

It turned out that a colleague of Harry's from the Department of Muggle Accidents hopped by his office just a minute after he'd arrived.

'Auror Potter? Good morning,' the other civil servant said as he knocked on the open door and leant into the room.

'Morning! Come in, come in. What can I do for you?' Harry asked.

The man walked in, held out his hand and said, 'I'm Paddy Hoodie.'

'How do you do?' Harry said, shaking hands with his visitor.

'How do you do?' Paddy said, smiling.

'Yes?' Harry asked, after finding Paddy's smile a bit odd.

'Don't take this bad, Auror Potter, but you remind me of your mother,' Paddy explained.

Harry grinned; he hadn't been expecting such a thing _at all_. 'This is quite a change. Usually, it's all about how much I look like my dad,' he said.

'Oh, you look like him all right, but there's an eagerness about the job that I see in you, and that was Auror Lily Potter through and through,' Paddy said.

Harry's grin widened and he said, 'Thanks!'

'You're welcome. To get back to the job at hand, Minister Shacklebolt told me you're the one protecting the Snapes… Well, Mrs Snape, because I bet that Deputy Headmaster Snape won't really need you now that his magic is back,' Paddy said.

Harry chuckled and nodded fervently. 'Severus doesn't need me at all, and I hope no one's going to try to do anything to Hermione, or I might have to mop up people's remains… Provided that Severus doesn't recycle them into potions' ingredients first,' he said.

Paddy smiled and said, 'Well, we've been working on what Mrs Snape did to protect her parents, and the house and surgery are safe for them to use again now. Can you go and tell them?'

'Of course. Is there anything else?' Harry inquired.

'No, that'll be all, Auror Potter…' Paddy said, but his voice trailed off.

'Mr Hoodie?' Harry said.

Paddy pointed at Harry's work laptop, and he asked, 'What's that? I've seen one at the Grangers' surgery and two in their home.'

Harry proceeded to explain what a Muggle computer is and how he was planning to work with it.

'I'm sure my kids will love that idea. My wife's Muggleborn, you see, and we're close to her parents,' Paddy said.

'How old are your children?' Harry inquired.

Paddy opened his mouth to answer, but someone at the door spoke then, and both men shuddered as they heard, 'I thought you said that your wife had Wizarding kin.'

Dolores Umbridge was on the threshold.

Harry was the first to react and he asked, 'What are you doing here?'

Umbridge looked as arrogant as usual, and she just sneered, but didn't answer.

'My wife has very good Wizarding kin,' Paddy growled.

'You just said that she's a Mudblood!' Umbridge spat haughtily.

'Good gracious, woman! I can escort you to the hospital if you want,' Harry said, pretending to look very concerned.

Umbridge had expected many things, but not that. _Nothing_ like that.

'What do you mean, Potter?' she said, quite taken aback.

Harry saw that she was ready to swallow his bait; he managed to wink at Paddy, and he walked to Umbridge.

'Look, I'm no specialist, but I really think you need medical help,' Harry said, resorting to the puppy act again, but for much, much darker motives.

'What do you mean?' Umbridge asked again.

'You don't look too well, and you're obviously having auditory hallucination. Look, I don't like you, but it's my job to protect people,' Harry said. He turned towards Paddy and asked, 'Help me?'

Paddy decided to trust Harry and nodded.

'I am perfectly fine, Potter!' Umbridge hissed.

'You really don't look fine,' Harry retorted.

Umbridge huffed and fled.

Harry turned to Paddy, who said, 'Thanks!'

Harry spell-locked his door and cast a Silencing charm before asking, 'Why isn't she in jail?'

'I don't know. I managed to save my wife from her trial because my parents consider that she's their daughter now. It was easy to lie to that nightmarish woman,' Paddy explained.

'I need to see our boss,' Harry said.

'He's got to be in the cafeteria. He's partial to a second cup of tea here just before he starts his day,' Paddy explained.

'Thanks!' Harry said.

He paused briefly and took his map of the Ministry from his pocket. He was about to activate the Location spell in it when Paddy said, 'I'll take you there if you want.'

Harry thanked his colleague, and they went to the cafeteria together. On their way there, they finished the chat that had been interrupted by Umbridge.

Once in the cafeteria, they walked straight to Kingsley's table.

'Morning, Minister,' Harry said.

'Morning, Auror Potter,' Kingsley answered. 'You're a bit early for our afternoon tea,' he pointed out.

Harry sat down in front of his boss and said softly, 'What is Umbridge doing still here? She almost threatened Mr Hoodie.'

Paddy nodded and whispered, 'About my wife.'

Kingsley flinched.

'She's a threat,' Harry hissed. 'With a bit of luck – or something – she'd have followed me to the hospital, and I'm sure I'd have found many volunteers to help her move in next to Lockhart,' he said.

'I've got someone tailing her. She shouldn't be able to do much,' Kingsley declared.

Harry snorted and said, 'I'm very sorry, but she's the one who managed to send Dementors after me, and who tortured me… just because she could.'

Harry showed his hand where the faint scar of the nasty magic in Umbridge's punishment quills was still visible.

Paddy, who had children who would soon go to Hogwarts, reacted like a dad and took Harry's hand in his. 'What happened?' he growled.

Harry explained how Umbridge had treated him, as well as all the students who'd dare to resist her at Hogwarts.

Paddy looked at Kingsley and hissed, 'Did the previous Ministers for Magic know about that?'

Kingsley sighed and admitted, 'Either they knew and didn't care, or they somehow approved.'

'Fudge didn't even want to believe that Voldemort was back,' Harry pointed out.

Paddy flinched when Harry said the name of the latest Dark Lord.

'Harry,' Kingsley scolded Harry mildly.

'What?' Harry protested. 'He wasn't that good if I managed to survive… and Dumbledore said that we shouldn't allow just a name to frighten us.'

Paddy gulped, but said, 'You're right.'

Harry gave his colleague a small smile and went on, as he turned back to their boss, 'What can I do to make sure that Umbridge won't do anything against Hermione?'

'If she were to try anything against Mrs Snape, she'd have to be prosecuted,' Kingsley answered.

Harry looked at his boss for quite a few long seconds.

'Harry?' Kingsley said.

'You're not using Hermione as bait to catch Umbridge because there's nothing else that you can do, right?' Harry said.

'No! No, absolutely not!' Kingsley exclaimed a bit more loudly than he'd intended. He looked around to make sure that no one was watching him in order to eavesdrop on his current chat with Auror Potter, and then he went on, 'I'm stuck. She wasn't on the absolute top of my list, but I tried to limit the damage she can do.'

'Can't you fire her?' Harry asked.

Paddy sighed and explained, 'There's an old Ministry joke that goes, "even killing a Minister for Magic isn't a good enough reason to fire a civil servant". Basically, once you're in, the only way to leave is to resign.'

'With everything she's done during the war?' Harry growled.

Kingsley and Paddy both nodded.

Harry sighed and said, 'Well, I know that I have many, many things to learn, but someone should change that because it's really disgusting. The few times my cousin left the telly on during the news, I realized that governing is really difficult, but I hope you can do something to make our country a better place to live. I wouldn't want other kids to find themselves in the position I was in most of my life.'

Kingsley smiled sadly. 'I'll try to become the Minister you want,' he said.

'There are people ready to help you,' Paddy said.

Harry nodded fervently, and Kingsley beamed at them.

'I'll start working on reforms,' Kingsley declared. He leant over the table, closer to Harry and added in a whisper, 'I'll ask the Unspeakable keeping an eye on Umbridge to be extremely careful.'

'If she tries anything against Hermione and I blast her to Kingdom come, will I get in trouble?' Harry inquired.

'Not if you swear that the strength of your spells was proportionate to your fears for the one you've been ordered to protect,' Kingsley declared with a wide smile.

'What was your house when you were a Hogwarts student?' Harry asked.

Kingsley grinned and winked, which made Harry chuckle.

'Well, I'd better go back to Hogwarts to tell the Grangers that they can head home. I'll make sure that all the Hogwarts house-elves keep an eye on Hermione when I'm not around,' Harry said.

'I'll see you later,' Kingsley told Harry.

Harry nodded, got up and thanked Paddy for guiding him to the cafeteria, and then he left to Floo to Hogwarts.

'He's good,' Paddy commented.

Kingsley nodded, finished his cup of tea and said, 'I have great hopes for Auror Potter.'

Paddy grinned. He shook hands with his Minister and went back to his own department.

Kingsley went to his office. He needed to check a few things in order to verify how he could modify the things that needed to be updated or just changed.

.

.

Harry Floo'ed to Minerva's office. She was at her desk when he arrived.

'Back already?' she asked.

'I've been asked to tell the Grangers that their home and surgery are okay, and they can resume their lives,' Harry said.

'They're probably with the Snapes,' Minerva declared.

'Poor Sev! I'll go rescue him and escort his in-laws back to Muggle-land,' Harry said, chuckling.

Minerva laughed softly and said, 'I think it went rather well, and the future relationship between Grangers and Snapes will be just fine.'

Harry nodded and declared, 'I think Hermione's their glue. She's quite something.'

'I'm happy to have her here,' Minerva said.

Harry heard something odd in her tone of voice and he tilted his head.

Minerva pointed her right index finger at him, waving it, and she said, 'You'll become a fine Auror, Harry. I'm delighted to have her here, teaching, but I'd rather have her teach Defence.'

'Next year, perhaps,' Harry pointed out.

Minerva shrugged and said, 'I'll conduct an interview in the afternoon for the Defence position.'

'Who?' Harry asked.

'A witch from Switzerland. She's got an impressive curriculum vitae and sent an owl to offer to help us,' she explained.

'Don't forget to add a few drops of Veritaserum to her tea,' Harry said, half joking.

Minerva sighed and said, 'You know I can't do such a thing.'

'And that's a pity,' he declared.

'Let's hope that she'll be the one we need,' she said.

Harry nodded. 'See you later!' he said joyfully as he walked out.

Minerva smiled and started reading her parchments again. She really hoped that the curse on the Defence against the Dark Arts position was a thing of the past… and that Mrs Snape would be able to teach _that_ class in a few months.

Harry made a detour on his way to the Snapes' quarters because he wanted to stop by the kitchen and have a word with the elves.

Once in front of the new kitchen door, Harry looked at a young shepherdess in the painting hanging on it and said, 'Lemon sherbet.'

The girl curtseyed and the door opened.

The house-elves were already working on making lunch, but a few of them stopped to go see what Auror Potter needed from them. Harry explained that he was really afraid for Hermione and that they'd have to help him.

'Why should we help her when she tried to change our ways?' an old elf inquired.

Harry sighed and crouched. 'She didn't understand your ways. She really wanted what's best for you, but she made a mistake. Will you help me help her? She's in danger now because _I_ made a mistake,' he said.

The same house-elf growled but said, 'I might not like her, but she's a professor now, and her future baby must be protected. Weniers is efficient, but can't stay with her all day long. I know just who you need.'

The old elf snapped his fingers, and a _very_ young elf arrived instantly.

'Zarou, got some work for you,' the old elf explained.

The tiny elf, who had huge ears, had them flapping madly with excitation.

One corner of the old elf's mouth rose involuntarily and he explained, 'You'll help Weniers protect Professor Hermione Snape, and you'll report to Auror Potter immediately if anything requires the intervention of the Ministry.'

Zarou nodded madly. She seemed quite tongue-tied.

'Thank you!' Harry told her.

She was so impressed that she disappeared into thin air.

'Bit shy, but she'll guard the professor like a dragon,' the old elf declared.

'Thanks for your help!' Harry said.

The elf bowed. 'Will that be all, Auror Potter?' he asked.

Harry nodded, and the elf went back to work.

Kreacher walked to Harry and said, 'Don't you worry, Harry Potter. Even if the others growl a bit, they know that Mrs Snape's future child is important, and she'll be protected while in Hogwarts. Outside will be your job… and Weniers's and Zarou's. A few will go back to not liking her when her magic is back and she's had the baby.'

'Do you know anything about her magic?' Harry asked.

Kreacher smiled and… disappeared.

'Bit frustrating,' Harry commented as he left the kitchen and walked to the dungeons.

Harry found the Grangers' in Severus's Potions classroom. Severus was about to start a lesson with his wife and her parents sitting at the last table to the right.

'Pardon me, Deputy Headmaster Snape, I've come to escort Mr and Mrs Granger back to their house,' Harry declared very formally.

Harry was tempted to give the Potions master an Oscar for not starting to cart-wheel with glee, thanks to that piece of news.

'Do we have to leave now?' Mrs Granger asked.

'The Department that undid the spells on your house and place of work would certainly like to know if they restored everything,' Harry pointed out.

'And we could come see you soon,' Hermione added. 'I can travel safely,' she said.

Her parents agreed, and they bade the Snapes and the students goodbye. The students noticed the look of relief that Hermione and Severus traded, but none commented on it.

It took Harry all morning to help the Grangers get re-acquainted with everything.

Just before leaving, Harry asked if they had any ideas for his Muggle printer, but the only thing the Grangers said was that he was welcome to come see them to print documents if he needed a Muggle outlet. Harry thanked them, but hoped to find something more practical.

He headed to the Ministry for lunch, and he decided to go to the cafeteria.

Harry was about to start eating his pudding when a huge owl landed on his table. He had some foreign post.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	34. Chapter 34

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Harry took the small box from the bird and gave her his desert. The owl hooted to thank Harry; the poor bird looked exhausted.

'Do you want something to drink?' Harry asked the owl, who hooted.

A Ministry employee, unknown to Harry, was walking by when he talked to the bird, and he snorted.

Unfazed, Harry looked at the owl as he gave her some water and said, 'Don't mind him.'

'You're quite good with birds, Auror Potter,' an old man said, glaring at the other civil servant, who almost fled the cafeteria.

'Thank you,' Harry said. In a whisper, he added, 'I miss my owl.'

'I'm from the Ministry Owl Service. I'll take care of her if you want, Auror Potter,' the old wizard said.

'Really, Mr…?' Harry said.

'Alex Cairo,' he answered. 'And I'd be delighted to escort her to our Owlery… once she's done gulping down your desert.'

'She seems to be enjoying it,' Harry said.

The owl was now ignoring them, and she was attacking the chicken bones on Harry's plate.

'Whoa! She's famished!' Harry exclaimed.

'She comes from far away, judging from the parcel she delivered you,' Cairo said.

Harry took a closer look at the parcel and realized that besides his name, he couldn't read anything else on the wrapping paper.

'Perhaps you could go to the Foreign Trade Department; they've got translators,' Cairo suggested.

Harry cast a spell that allowed him to check that the packet was safe, and once he was satisfied, he took his map of the Ministry and checked where the Foreign Trade Department was.

'I'll take care of her,' Cairo said, as he invited the owl onto his shoulder.

'Thank you, Mr Cairo,' Harry said.

Harry had observed what people did with their trays, and he cast a charm on it to make it float back to the kitchen.

Cairo was already focussing on the owl when Harry followed the Direction spell generated by his map.

The Foreign Trade Department was rather big and buzzing with activity. Thankfully, there was a civil servant who seemed to be in charge of a welcome desk, and Harry walked straight to that witch.

'How may I help you, Auror Potter?' she asked.

'I received a parcel from abroad, but I don't know if it's work-related or not. I can't even read the address,' Harry said.

'May I have a look at it?' the witch inquired.

Harry placed the parcel on her desk.

She pointed at something in front of Harry's name and said, 'This says "Auror", and therefore it has to be work-related. You can go see Lola Slacer; she's at the fourth desk on the left.'

'Thank you, Mrs Rand,' Harry said, looking at her name-plate.

He picked up his parcel and walked to the fourth desk, where a witch of Asian descent was feverishly casting spells on parchments. She looked in her early twenties and was quite pretty

'Mrs Slacer?' Harry said.

She stopped casting spells and looked up at the young man on the other side of her desk. 'Hello, there! It's _Miss_ Slacer, but you can call me Lola,' she said.

Harry smiled, but he decided to not play the puppy act on the young witch. 'Thank you, Lola. I'm Harry,' he said amiably, but neutrally.

'I know… Harry,' she said.

'Your colleague at the door said that you might help me because I can't read this,' Harry said, showing the parcel.

Miss Slacer looked at the parcel and said, 'One spell, and you'll be able to read it. Shall I cast it?'

'Please,' Harry said.

She cast a Translation spell on the parcel, and Harry saw that the script now looked Roman.

'Does the spell change the writing?' Harry inquired.

'No, it changes your perception of the original message, and you can understand the message,' she explained.

'That's a very interesting spell,' Harry commented.

'You have to know the languages to make it work,' she explained.

'Is one of your parents from Asia?' Harry asked.

'Mum's from Japan, and your parcel is from there,' she said. She took a closer look at the Owl Post stamps and said, 'From Kyoto, to be precise. That's where I grew up.'

'And that poor owl flew all the way from there?' Harry exclaimed.

Miss Slacer nodded.

'I'm glad I gave her my desert!' Harry said.

'Well, if I can help you with anything, don't hesitate to come see me,' she said, almost batting her eyelashes.

'Thanks, Lola. I'd better go check why I was sent a parcel from practically the other side of the globe,' Harry said.

'Of course, but if you want to head for the Leaky Cauldron later, I finish work at five,' she said.

'Erm, Lola…' he began to say.

'Oh, I'm sorry. Mum keeps saying I'm too pushy,' she said.

'It's not that… Look, I've got two people training me, I've got to learn the Auror manual by heart, and I've got two assignments, plus this mystery parcel. My life's a complete madness,' he explained.

She leant over her desk to be closer to Harry and said, 'That still makes me too pushy.'

'Not pushy. Direct, and I see nothing wrong with that,' he told her.

'You're not my mum,' she said with a chuckle.

He smiled at her.

'Well, if you want to talk, and _just_ share a drink…' she said.

'You know, I'd like to understand how the Ministry works. My department shouldn't be the only thing I know. What do you say you tell me how your department works… someday,' he suggested.

She looked at him, tilted her head and said, 'I'll tell you everything about our work and my pretty spells, and you'll tell me how you're being trained.'

Harry took a step towards her desk and whispered, 'It might be classified.'

She chuckled and said, 'Perhaps I've got clearance.'

He laughed softly and said, 'I might be able to tell you a few stories.'

She smiled widely.

'Seriously, I won't have any free time soon,' he declared very softly.

Her smile got bigger and she said, 'I understand. I'll be here… Whenever you're free.'

Harry nodded.

Once more, she moved closer to him and murmured, 'Friends?'

'Friends,' he said.

She held out her hand, and he shook it. He reflected that it'd be nice to have colleagues who'd be friends, too, and he saw that she'd changed her mind about trying to date him. Now, she merely wanted a mate to go out after work and chat about anything and everything.

'Now, go open your parcel. Through my spell I could feel that there's a letter in it,' she said.

'Okay, and if you need help with anything, you'll find me in the oldest Auror office,' he said.

'Thanks, Keiji-san,' she said with a chuckle.

'Eh?' he said.

'It means "detective", Harry. In my mum's language, the Wizarding community borrowed the police word for Auror,' she explained.

'Keiji-san, eh?' he said.

She nodded fervently.

'See you soon, Lola-chan,' he said, waving as he left.

For once, Harry was happy that his cousin had watched so many things on telly, because he knew which Japanese suffix to use for Lola.

Miss Lola Slacer giggled madly and waved back; she just knew that she'd made a friend.

.

.

Now, Harry was dying with curiosity, and he almost jogged back to his desk. He placed the parcel on it, next to his laptop, and moved the Wizarding picture of the Snapes to a corner; the Severus in the picture seemed interested.

'Can you imagine that someone sent me something from _Kyoto_?' Harry told the wizard in the picture.

'Talking to yourself?' Arthur Weasley asked from the threshold.

Harry chuckled and said, pointing at the magical paper, 'No, I'm talking to Severus.' Harry noticed that the Deputy Headmaster had deserted the frame, and Hermione seemed to be glaring at her husband, who was hiding from Arthur. '_Was_ talking to Severus,' Harry corrected himself.

'I wanted to see how you are,' Arthur said.

'Come in, come in, Arthur… Everything's completely mad, and I've got hundreds and thousands of things to learn and discover, but I'm fine,' Harry said.

Arthur knew that Harry wasn't completely honest, and he looked at the younger man strangely.

'All right, I'm okay,' Harry said. He paused and decided to tell the truth, 'I'll be okay.'

'I just wanted to make sure that you to know you can come and see me if you'd like to talk,' Arthur said.

Harry looked at Arthur, whom he'd helped save, and who, he'd thought might become his father-in-law, and he was grateful.

There was no need to mention, Ron, Ginny or Molly; there was no need to mention the war and the many friends that they'd lost… they could still be friends in spite of everything.

'Thanks,' Harry said softly.

'It's not my first war…' Arthur pointed out.

Harry looked at him and said, 'In spite of what my Healer says, I'm going to crash at one point, right?'

'Or do a few mad things,' Arthur answered.

Harry blinked a few times, suddenly thinking about his date with Draco in a few days, and he reflected that Arthur might have a point.

'How mad?' Harry asked.

Arthur looked at Harry, and even though he couldn't read thoughts, he said, 'I think you've got an idea.'

Harry blushed a bit.

Arthur smiled at him and said, 'Better to have a bit of madness than crash, Harry.'

Harry gave that a thought and had to agree.

'So, you've got post from abroad,' Arthur said.

'Want to see what it is?' Harry asked.

'Why not,' Arthur said.

Harry opened the parcel and found packed in rice (probably to protect the contents) a white, semi-translucent cube that had something shaped like a Muggle outlet on top.

Harry took the letter that was in the rice and read it, thanks to Lola's spell.

'What does it say?' Arthur inquired.

'Isn't the spell working for you?' Harry wondered.

'It is, but I'm not going to read your mail,' Arthur said.

'It's not a state secret,' Harry said, as he moved closer to Arthur.

The letter was from a Japanese researcher, who'd been trying to find a way to power Muggle appliances for years. It turned out that, thanks to Harry's spell, he'd found a way to do it, and he was giving Harry one of his creations, and to thank Harry, he allowed him to duplicate it as many times as he pleased.

'Is this private or work mail?' Harry said, more to himself than to his visitor.

'Probably private,' Arthur said.

'Lola Slacer translated it for me,' Harry said.

'She's a colleague and helped you. That's all,' Arthur said.

'I'd better go back to see her. She can read the original. If I can use it for work, I can supply the Ministry, but it'd be unfair to the man who's giving me the outlet,' Harry said.

Arthur nodded.

'But first…' Harry said, as he pointed his wand at the cube.

He duplicated the gift and cast his spell on the copy, thus charging and activating it. He took it and handed it to Arthur.

'Harry?'

'It's for you,' Harry explained.

'This is too much. I can't accept it,' Arthur protested.

'Take it or I'll give it to the twins,' Harry joked.

Swiftly, Arthur opened his hands, and Harry gave him the device, chuckling a bit, though.

'Thank you,' Arthur said.

'I don't know what you can do with it, but if you want to buy something Muggle-made, now you can power it,' Harry said.

Arthur looked like the twins high on sugar, which said a lot. 'I've got a few ideas,' he said.

Harry grinned and said, 'I'd better go back to see Lola. I bet I'm going to spend the afternoon working on this.'

'Lola's a nice witch. A bit like that girl you dated a few years ago,' Arthur said.

Harry blinked and said, 'That's it!'

'What?' Arthur wondered.

Harry smiled sadly and said, 'She's very nice, but she must remind me of Cho somehow.'

'Poor gal,' Arthur said softly.

Harry shrugged and said, 'At least, we can be friends.'

Arthur smiled warmly and said, 'You promise that you'll contact me if you need to talk or anything?'

Harry nodded fervently. Then, out of the blue, or so it seemed, he said, 'I'm going to buy an owl after work.'

Arthur squeezed Harry's shoulder.

'You're thinking that my mad reactions are pretty tame,' Harry declared, smiling.

'You're just starting,' Arthur said with a wink.

Harry was laughing when Lola knocked on the door.

When Arthur saw who it was, he smiled and told Harry, 'You know where to find me.'

'Yup! And I can owl you soon,' Harry said.

Arthur nodded at Lola, waved at Harry and left.

'I'm glad that you're here; I was going to go back to your desk,' Harry told Lola.

'And I just wanted to tell you that I'm not… My colleagues, they…' she said.

Harry waved his hand and said, 'Look, Lola, if you really want to be my friend, you've got to keep in mind that when I sneeze, there's an article in the _Daily Prophet_, or some other paper. But if you want to be my friend, we can go have that drink soon…ish.'

She sighed with relief.

'Okay?' he said.

She nodded. 'So, you need help with something,' she said.

Harry explained that he felt bad about his parcel because he wasn't sure that it was work-related even if it was sent to "Auror Potter".

Lola took the letter and read it carefully.

'Um… I get it. It's a gift for _you_, but you're an Auror, and therefore, you've got to be called by your title at all times,' Lola explained.

Harry smiled and said, 'Thanks. Now, I definitely need to buy you a drink to thank you.'

She smiled back and said, 'Okay. That works for me.'

'Say, do you know what I need to do to get a few of those devices for the Ministry?' he asked.

'Yep! You give me the paper that wrapped your parcel, and I'll go see Yamaguchi-sensei,' she said.

'Sensei?' he repeated.

'He's a professor and a researcher. That's the appropriate title for him,' she explained.

'Thanks,' he said, as he gave her the paper.

'First, I'll contact him, but it might be too late there,' she said. Harry nodded. She went on, 'How many power cubes will you need?'

'Mobile, computer, printer. Three,' he answered.

'All right.'

'I'll hop to Hogwarts to test the… power cube, and if there are no problems, I'll go buy a Muggle printer to go with this,' he said, pointing at his laptop. He looked at the computer, then back at Lola and said, 'Make that four power cubes.'

'You got it,' she said.

They walked together out of the Auror Department. Lola went to Fire-call Kyoto and Harry headed for Hogwarts, going straight to his quarters.

He duplicated the cube again, put the spells on the copy, plugged his printer in, and it came to life.

Harry installed his printer and tested it, just to make sure. Once he knew it worked, he checked the time and Floo'ed back to London to change into his undercover Muggle clothes and go shopping for the Ministry.

Harry bought the same printer he'd chosen for home. He told Kate that he'd be needing more things from her shop, because there now was a way to power them in his world, and she was really happy for him.

He hinted that he'd ask his Muggle trainer what could be useful for him in his "police" work. Kate said that she'd prepare a few files about bigger computers, ones that needed to be plugged in. They agreed on a work date for next Tuesday afternoon (with a bit of luck, they'd be slow enough, and they'd end up at the pub later, after work).

When Harry went to see his boss, his first report was printed on Muggle paper.

'Now, I want to hear how you managed that miracle,' Kingsley said, clearly quite impressed.

Harry sat down, smiled and took a deep breath.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	35. Chapter 35

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Over tea, Harry explained what happened with his Japanese post.

'Good work, Harry. Quite impressive for an apprentice,' Kingsley praised his newest Auror.

'I'll call James Nettle to ask him when I can go see him at work,' Harry said.

'You could invite him and his family to Hogwarts,' Kingsley suggested.

Harry shook his head and said, 'Our schedules clash.'

'How so?' Kingsley inquired.

'James can't tell his colleagues that he's going to visit a Wizarding school, which means that he'd have to wait for the weekend… and you said I could have my weekends,' Harry said.

Kingsley smiled and said, 'All right, then contact him and go see him.'

Harry nodded.

Kingsley grinned and asked, 'Got a date next weekend?'

'Some private tutoring,' Harry lied.

Kingsley wasn't fooled, but he didn't say a word.

During the rest of their meeting, Harry got a few more tips about being an Auror, and Kingsley shared a few trade secrets with his protégé.

When the teapot was cold and all the snacks devoured, Kingsley looked at Harry and said, 'I'm afraid that I'll have to go back to my desk, Harry.'

'You can't train me all evening; I'm already grateful for the tips, you know. Besides, I'll have to head to Hogwarts to check with my latest spy that Umbridge isn't planning something against the Snapes, and I'd like to know more about the possible next Defence teacher,' Harry said.

Kingsley nodded.

Harry got up and asked, 'Oh, by the way, do you know where I can buy an owl?'

'The Wizarding pet-shop in Diagon Alley reopened yesterday,' Kingsley said.

'Thanks, I'll go there. I'll type and print a report about the Snapes tomorrow,' Harry said.

'Perfect! Now, go adopt a new pet,' Kingsley told him.

They shook hands, and Harry left.

On his way out, the young Auror walked by the welcome desk and left the invoice for the printer that he'd bought for the Ministry at Adelaide Groops's desk. She was absolutely delighted to see him, and they wished each other a pleasant evening.

It was a bit late when Harry left the Ministry; he hoped that the pet shop would still be open, and he walked a bit faster. Now that he'd made up his mind, he very much wanted to adopt an owl _today_.

As he neared the shop, he noticed the number of people around who were looking strangely at the pet-shop, and then, he heard the shouts (two men and a few animals). Harry reflected that petty crimes and common problems would come back now that the war was over; like it said in his manual, "there's no such thing as an off-duty Auror".

Harry jogged to the shop, walked in and could see two wizards arguing, as a smallish owl was trying to attack one of them.

'Auror! What's going on here?' Harry said loudly.

The two wizards ignored him, but not the brown and black owl, who came to land on Harry's shoulder. He was quite surprised that the bird trusted him, and he found it strangely soothing to have the owl perched there.

'Oi!' Harry shouted at the men, who kept ignoring him.

Harry took his wand and immobilized both men.

'All right, when an Auror asks you to explain what's going on, you answer,' Harry growled.

'Auror?' one of the men snorted.

Harry showed him his badge, which he'd kept around his neck and asked, 'Is this Christmas pudding?'

'Oh! I'm very sorry! I just arrived, and I didn't know you had such young Aurors here,' the man answered.

The other snorted in his turn and said, 'That's bloody Harry Potter, you twit!'

'_Auror_ Potter for you, thank you,' Harry said coldly.

'The war hero!' the first man exclaimed.

'Go back to your cave!' the second man told the first.

Harry felt that they'd resume their argument, even bound by his spell, if he didn't do something. 'All right, right now, Auror Potter would like to know why you're yelling like banshees, and if you make me keep referring to myself in the third person, I'll arrest you, and I'll find some old law to keep you overnight. Now, talk!' he said.

'He tried to steal a gozon,' the first man told Harry, as he nodded towards the other man.

'Not true! I hadn't left the shop when his owl attacked me!' the other protested.

'It's not my owl!' the first man pointed out.

'Let me get this straight. How did you know that he was trying to steal your… gozon?' Harry asked the shopkeeper.

'The owl flew all around him, and the gozon fell from his sleeve when he tried to protect himself. You don't put a gozon in any kind of material because it risks putting them in a coma, but it's a way to smuggle them,' the shopkeeper explained.

'So, it's dangerous,' Harry said.

The shopkeeper nodded madly.

The owl on Harry's shoulder planted his claws only in Harry's robes and flew closer to the thief, urging Harry to follow.

'Trying to tell me something?' Harry asked the owl, who hooted.

Harry freed the shopkeeper and searched the thief. He found two other gozons in the man's left sleeve.

Harry handed them to the shopkeeper and asked, 'Will they be all right?'

The shopkeeper put them in a tank, sprinkled them with lemonade and the tiny creatures (of a variety Harry had never seen before) woke up.

'They're fine,' the shopkeeper declared.

The thief snorted again and said, 'They're just beasts.'

'You start with animals, and one day you upgrade to people,' Harry said.

'Puhliz!' the thief said. 'What makes you say that?'

'Oh, I don't know, having had a demented Dark Lord trying to kill me for most of my life, and having read a few studies on the topic,' Harry said coldly.

Harry arrested the thief and told the shopkeeper that he'd come take his deposition as soon as the stealing wizard was in custody.

'I'm afraid that I'll be closed by then,' the shopkeeper apologized. 'I just moved here, and my husband would worry if I came home late,' he added.

Harry nodded, but glared at the thief. 'It's a pity, because I wanted to find an owl,' he said.

'I think you've found one,' the shopkeeper declared, pointing at the bird still sitting on Harry's shoulder.

'I can't arrest your thief and buy an owl at the same time,' Harry objected.

'She's really not one of my birds, and I think she adopted you,' the shopkeeper pointed out.

Harry looked at the bird, who hissed at the shopkeeper. The latter tilted his head and said, 'Oops, sorry.'

'What?' Harry asked, completely lost.

'The owl is a male,' he explained. He walked to the counter and took an owl treat, which he went to give to the bird.

The owl gulped it down with gusto.

'I should give you a whole bag of it,' the shopkeeper said.

'I can't accept it!' Harry protested.

'Sorry, Auror Potter, but I wasn't talking to _you_,' the shopkeeper said.

The owl closed his beak on a small paper bag containing a dozen owl treats, and he nodded several times, as if to thank the shopkeeper.

Harry looked at the owl and asked, 'Do you want to stay with me?'

He nodded, which made the thief snort again. Harry ignored the wizard.

'May I come back tomorrow morning for your deposition, then?' Harry asked the shopkeeper.

They made an appointment, and Harry escorted the thief to the Ministry and had him booked for attempted theft and animal cruelty.

Harry decided to visit the Ministry Owlery in order to get a few tips about the owl who had adopted him. He'd never seen one like him.

In the elevator, Harry looked at the owl and said, 'If you mean to stay with me, I could carry your treats. I've got pockets, you know.'

Harry held out his hand, and the owl deigned to drop his treat bag into the hand of _his_ biped.

'If it turns out that you don't already belong to someone, we'll have to find you a name,' Harry said.

The owl hooted once.

The door opened, and Harry found himself nose to nose with Alex Cairo, who was on his way out.

'More post?' Alex asked.

While holding the elevator door, Harry quickly summarized what had just happened to him. Alex tried to caress the owl, but he hopped onto Harry's head, and then to Harry's other shoulder.

'He's adopted you,' Alex said.

'Can I keep him?' Harry inquired.

Alex winked and invited Harry to move back into the car. Once the door was closed, Alex cast a spell to slow the elevator down a bit.

'There's a spell that can tell you if he belongs to someone, but it's above my rank, Auror Potter,' Alex declared.

'Just Harry, please! And if you can cast it, I'd be grateful because I don't know it, and I _need_ to know if that bird is lost or stolen,' Harry said, giving the other wizard a way out.

Alex smiled and cast the spell, which showed that the bird was free.

They arrived in the Atrium.

'What bread of owl is he?' Harry asked.

'He looks like a young Grand Ausistrean, but there's something off in his feathers. If he's a magical creature, he might be some hybrid,' Alex said.

'I'll do some research, then. Thanks for your help!' Harry said.

'You're welcome, Harry. Find him a good name, and have a nice evening!' Alex said as he hurried to Floo out.

'Bye!' Harry said as the flames enveloped the other wizard. Harry turned to his bird and asked, 'Ready to go home?'

Much to his surprise, the bird flew to his wrist, grabbed his sleeve and made Harry follow him outside.

'Something odd going on?' Harry asked.

The owl hooted.

'What are you? The Wizarding equivalent of the police dog?' Harry inquired.

The bird glared at Harry.

By then, they were at the beginning of Knockturn Alley. Harry stopped and said, 'What are you? An Animagus?'

Harry cast a spell on the bird, but he was just a bird.

The owl felt that Harry was reconsidering adopting him, and he landed on Harry's shoulder and rubbed his head against Harry's cheek.

'Why should I trust you?' Harry whispered.

Right then, the smallish and dark owl turned himself into a barn owl, and then into another one that was entirely grey and changed back. The bird was trusting Harry with his magical secret.

'Okay,' Harry said, petting the bird, 'but being with me might be dangerous.'

The owl seemed to shrug.

'Maybe Barmy would be a good name for you,' Harry said, which made the owl glare again.

The bird managed to lead Harry to a dark corner. In an awful dustbin, Harry located a very young kitten, probably just barely weaned.

'What do you want me to do?' Harry asked the owl.

A second later, Harry found himself with a kitten on his formerly free shoulder. Kitten and owl were rubbing themselves against his cheeks.

'Min's going to kill me,' Harry murmured.

He Disapparated to the gates of Hogwarts and walked to the castle. Bird and kitten stayed on his shoulders.

Harry walked straight to the Great Hall and to Minerva at the High table.

'May I keep them?' he asked her.

She smiled sadly and said, 'Of course, Harry.'

'Problem?' he asked worriedly, sitting next to her.

She waved her hand.

'Min?' he insisted.

'Curse of the DADA position,' Irma whispered.

Minerva sighed and said, 'The first one I'd hired had a family emergency and excused herself, and the candidate I met today wanted to come, but she's been offered a better job in Russia. I'm back to square one.'

'Oh, I'm very sorry,' Harry said. 'Perhaps you should ask…' his voice trailed off as he realized that he'd almost suggested re-hiring Remus.

Harry paled and felt faint.

'I'll take the kitten home; don't wait for me,' Harry said lamely as he got up.

Minerva tried to stop him, but she didn't want to bring too much attention to them.

Hermione nodded at her husband, and Severus followed Harry and caught up with him as Harry opened his quarters' door.

Severus followed Harry inside in silence.

The owl flew to the windowsill and the kitten hopped onto the sofa that was by the fireplace.

'Do you want to talk about it?' Severus asked gently.

'I'd forgotten. I'd _bloody_ forgotten! What's wrong with me?' Harry asked.

'There's nothing wrong with you… It happens,' Severus said softly.

Harry turned to face him and said, 'It's funny because Arthur came to see me today. Now, it feels as if he knew that such a thing would happen! He also mentioned mad things, and…'

Harry couldn't go on.

Severus said a single word, 'Malfoy.'

Harry gaped and went to sit in his chair; he looked frightened.

'Don't panic. I can tell because there's still a bit of a spy in me, but no one knows… Well, except Minerva, probably because she interrupted something.'

Harry put his face in his hands.

'You both need a friend, Harry,' Severus said.

Harry looked at Severus and nodded slowly. 'Tell me, how are you and Hermione?' he inquired with concern.

Severus was rather pleased that Harry worried about them. 'We're fine,' he answered.

'Really?' Harry insisted.

'We're both turned towards the future already. I have a wife who loves me enough to bring me back to life, and she's got her dream job, and we're going to have a baby,' Severus said.

Harry nodded slowly.

'Harry… about Draco…' Severus began to say.

'He's not trying to trick me,' Harry said.

Severus looked serious and said, 'I know. What I wanted to tell you is that Draco's position among the Death Eaters… Well, there are things that his parents don't know… He'll need you as much as you'll need him. You grew up with him; he can be arrogant, but it's mostly a façade.'

Harry nodded. 'Am I blowing a fuse, Severus?' he asked after a pause.

Severus shook his head and said, 'You're looking for ways to recover.'

'And I forgot that Remus can't come back to teach Defence,' Harry whispered.

'Even Shacklebolt wouldn't have been able to allow him to come back,' Severus pointed out.

Harry sighed deeply and nodded.

'Now that your owl and kitten are here, come back to the Great Hall before Minerva and my wife hunt us down,' Severus said.

A house-elf popped in with everything for the owl and the kitten.

'See! You need dinner now,' Severus declared.

Harry got up and hugged Severus on impulse. Severus was rather surprised, but before he could do or say anything, Harry rushed to the fireplace and called the Weasley twins. Severus didn't hear what Harry told them, but the younger wizard was grinning when he turned back towards Severus.

'Just planning some surprise,' Harry said with a smile.

Severus nodded once and said, 'If you need to talk, you can come see me. Day or night. All right?'

Harry shrugged.

'Potter… I do remember how you annoyed me when you were my student, but now… you're my wife's best friend. If you need to talk, our door's open,' Severus declared.

Harry didn't say a word.

'If you're not well, Hermione will see it, she'll corner you and then… she'll _lecture_ you,' Severus pointed out.

'Okay… thanks!' Harry said. 'May I come see you tomorrow after work?'

'I'll be in my office. I'll always be here when you want to talk about the war,' Severus said.

'It's… not that,' Harry said. He looked at Severus, took a deep breath and said, 'I've got a date next Saturday, and I could do with a few tips.'

Severus started wondering if Harry's feelings for Draco might be deeper than he'd suspected, but then Harry frowned.

'Merlin! I must be some kind of perv! I'm seeing Draco, and I'm trying to get a date with Kate, too!' Harry exclaimed.

Severus smiled and said, 'It's just your hormones catching up with you. Just… be honest with them. Don't betray them.'

'I'm lost,' Harry admitted.

Severus wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and dragged him outside as he said, 'That's not the war. It's being eighteen, and it's hell.'

Harry nodded fervently.

A few minutes later, Minerva was delighted to see Harry and Severus join them again.

'Will you help me find good names for my pets?' Harry asked his friends at the High table.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	36. Chapter 36

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Harry ended with more names than he could use, and he decided to wait a few days to get to know his pets and choose the best names for them.

After dinner, he was planning to go back to his quarters to work a bit, but Hermione stopped him before he reached the stairs.

'Yes, Hermione?' he asked.

'Do you want to talk?' she inquired.

Harry smiled at his best friend and said, 'Yes, sweetie… When do you want us to have a cup of tea?'

'Now?' she suggested.

'Don't you have more interesting things to do than have tea with me _now_?' he said.

Hermione grinned and said, 'I think you'll be busy next weekend, and I just bet that you're planning to see Sev sometime tomorrow. He wouldn't have come back with you so soon if he hadn't agreed to chat with you.'

Harry nodded, looked around to make sure that no one would overhear them and said, 'I'll borrow your husband tomorrow after my shift.'

'Good, now come have tea with me. Sev's got a bit to do in his lab,' she said.

Harry looked at her. He decided that _she_ might want to talk, too, and he followed her.

Draco, who was hiding under his Invisibility cloak, decided to go wait near Harry's door, and he moved upstairs.

Weniers had tea ready when they arrived.

'Have you heard anything odd?' Harry asked the house-elf.

'No, the school is calm for the moment, and even Weasley girl has been quiet,' Weniers answered.

'Thank you,' Harry said.

'The Auror Potter is welcome,' she said. Weniers bowed and left.

Hermione sat down and poured tea. She handed Harry a cup and said softly, 'You'd forgotten.'

Harry sighed and sat next to her as he took the cup. 'Yea,' he said, knowing that she'd understood about Remus and that there was no way he'd escape the talk.

'We're going to need time to recover. There are things…' she began to say.

Harry looked at her and thought about his friend's situation. 'You say spells sometimes,' he stated.

She nodded fervently and said, 'One day, my magic might come back, but I already forgot twice, and, for two seconds, I didn't understand why my spells weren't working.'

Harry put his cup down on the coffee table and paled. 'I'm so, so sorry,' he almost sobbed.

'Last time I checked, your name isn't Patrick Curby. You did everything you could,' she protested.

'Yes, but…' he began to say.

She tutted and said, 'Your name isn't Superman, either.'

Harry laughed softly.

'We'll need time,' she stated.

He took a deep breath and said, 'The war made us who we are, and we'll never be the same.'

She nodded and said, 'Drink your tea.'

He picked his cup up again and obeyed. 'You know, your magic _will_ come back,' he said.

She shrugged.

'I know it's mad to say that, but you're such a great witch. I'm _sure_ your magic will come back… Maybe when the baby grows a bit,' he said.

'It's just a tiny bunch of cells for the moment,' she said.

'It's got to be quite a surprise,' Harry said shyly.

'Being pregnant?' she asked.

He nodded fervently.

She chuckled. 'There's no need to worry, Harry. It's a big surprise, it wasn't planned, it wasn't to happen in the immediate future in theory, but now that it's happening, I'm all right with it. The baby will be a peace bonus. Can you imagine him or her?' she said.

Harry gave the question a serious thought and laughed.

'What?' Hermione growled.

'Your baby will be a little angel, and Sev and you are going to love that baby to bits, but… I pictured a little genius with your brain and Sev's sharp tongue. It'd be fun! I'll invite myself to the Sorting in twelve years,' Harry said.

'I could give birth to a Squib,' she said with a small voice.

Harry snorted and said, 'Right, and I'm going to become a Muggle pop star! Don't be silly! You'll have a witch or a wizard.'

'Do you really think so?' she asked hesitantly.

'I'm sure of it!' he answered, nodding fervently.

Hermione rushed to him and hugged him for dear life; Harry hugged her back after putting his cup down again.

He could feel that she was shaking and held her close, whispering nonsense to her.

'I just bet you'll have an adorable witch. Really,' he told her.

'Siding with Sev, I see,' she said with a chuckle, feeling better.

'Does he really want a girl?' Harry inquired.

Hermione looked at him with intensity and said, 'He told me that he just wants our baby to be all right, and I know he meant it, but the more I think about it, the more I think that he might want a daughter.'

'He'll love you both, just as much as you'll love them both; whatever the gender of the baby,' he said philosophically.

She smiled.

'I'm glad that you've found each other,' he added.

'Really?' she inquired.

'All right, up to the moment we found you in the Shrieking Shack, I'd really put my money on Ron, but Sev's the right wizard for you,' he told her.

She smiled and said, 'I'd lost interest in Ron that way long ago.'

'And you could tell no one about Sev. I understand,' he paused and looked at her. 'I really hope you'll have decades or centuries together,' he said.

Hermione cooed and said, 'That's so sweet, Harry. Thank you.'

'You're welcome, sweetie,' he said.

'What about you? I mean, date-wise,' she asked.

'Complicated,' Harry mumbled.

'You know you can tell me anything,' she encouraged him.

He looked at her, as if looking for some answer on her face, and he declared, 'Sev told you about Draco.'

'I'm not completely blind, Harry,' she protested, to hide the fact that her husband had mentioned Draco. She went on, 'You know you'll still be my best friend, even if you end up living with him, or even marrying him, don't you?'

He sighed deeply and said, 'Truth?'

She nodded and took his hand to encourage him.

'Minerva gave me a few books with some _special_ spells because Draco had lent me his, and she'd seen them. I was with Draco when I started reading them, and there's that one spell that I don't get, and we agreed to try it. I think he doesn't want to be alone, and he doesn't mind that I'm a bloke,' Harry said.

'But…?' she asked.

'We've got a date, but it's not really a date. I've got a date with Kate next week, and I'm sure Draco wants to find a witch, who won't flee abroad, like Pansy did,' he answered.

Hermione nodded.

Harry squeezed her hand and said, 'Say, may I ask you a weird question?'

'We're friends,' she said. 'If I don't like your question, I'll bite,' she added.

'I was telling Draco that Kate doesn't mind that I'm a wizard and a _copper_, as she says, but my age seemed to bother her a bit. He said that she might not want to be the one to… well, to be my first. Do you think that's possible?' he inquired, blushing madly.

She thought about Kate's situation and answered, 'Not entirely impossible, you know.'

Harry nodded, lost in thought.

'What's the spell that Draco's going to show you?' she asked.

Harry's blush returned with a vengeance, and he said, 'I'm not telling you that!'

'Never mind. I can ask Sev tomorrow night,' she teased him.

'It's true that I'm planning to ask him a few practical things, not only tips on how to recover from a war, but he won't tell you,' Harry protested.

'I know.'

'Eh?' he said.

'Sev will never betray your trust, but now you feel a bit less guilty about seeing Draco and Kate. You know what? You should use your date with Draco to check if you guys can be friends in the future, and you should use your date with Kate to show her that you're a good bloke. If she's not afraid of magic, maybe she can become more than a date,' she explained.

Harry nodded again.

'From now on, we should try to find a time when we can meet and chat about anything and everything,' Hermione suggested.

'I'd love that. What do you propose, oh, great schedule mistress?' he asked.

.

.

In his office, Severus was working on new tests and training sessions for his students when George Weasley's head appeared in a magical fire.

'Professor?' George called softly.

Severus was quite surprised. He walked to the fireplace and said, 'Mr Weasley, what can I do for you?'

'Nothing. Harry called me earlier, and I've found something that belongs to your wife. I didn't want to Fire-call in your quarters and bother you, so here I am. May I come in?' George inquired.

'Of course,' Severus said.

He moved backwards to give George enough space to arrive into the room. The fireplace spat George, Fred's ghost and… Crookshanks.

'That's Hermione's cat!' Severus exclaimed.

'Yes, Professor, he stayed around our parents' house, and we went to get him,' Fred explained.

Severus looked at the ghost strangely and said, 'Flitwick and the others had told me about you, but it's different to see you.'

'Harry saved us,' Fred said.

Severus nodded.

George handed Severus the cat and said, 'We'll head home now.'

The twins walked to the fireplace.

'George,' Severus said.

The twins swirled around towards him. 'Yes?' both said.

'Come see me someday, I might have a solution for your ear,' Severus said.

'But everybody said that there's nothing to do,' George protested.

'I might know a Dark spell that could possibly work on you. What do you say you Floo here Sunday at midnight?' Severus said.

'I don't want you to go to jail because of my ear!' George protested vehemently. 'I like Hermione too much!'

Fred ghost-elbowed his twin and said, 'Look, Professor Snape's got a plan!'

George blinked as Severus grinned.

'In the mood to do something odd before coming to see me on Sunday?' Severus inquired.

Fred, and then George, nodded madly.

Severus put Crookshanks on his desk and noted down on a piece of parchment an address that he went to give to George. 'You'll go there. In the cellar, behind the only crate, you'll find a glowing phial of potion. Once you have it, Apparate to the Three Broomsticks, ask in a panic to use the Floo Network and announce clearly that you're coming to see me,' he said.

'Why?' George wondered.

'Did you look at the address? The house belonged to a real Death Eater; it's got to have wards. The potion's got to be a pretext to help you. Then Professor Snape can cast the spell, but everybody will think that it was the potion that healed you,' Fred said.

George gaped.

'Since I left the phial unattended and unprotected, I'll have no way to know what happened to it and I won't ever be able to reproduce its effect. I have to warn you that if it works, it'll look the same, but won't _feel_ the same,' Severus explained.

'Thanks! Anything!' George said.

'Say, Professor, would you be interested in working with us? Just on a few projects,' Fred said.

'I'll probably work on some research, and I might brew more rare potions, but feel free to poll my wife,' Severus said. 'I never imagined that I'd ever say such a thing.'

'You trust us!' Fred exclaimed.

'Since you went to find her cat, I know that you'll make sure that nothing happens to her,' Severus said.

The twins nodded fervently.

'We'll send her an owl to invite ourselves to tea,' the twins said in synch.

'Do that,' Severus answered.

George and Fred went to the fireplace, waved at Severus, and they went home after saying, 'See you on Sunday, Professor!'

Severus smiled. George would be a sort of guinea pig, but Severus might well manage to do something about the young man's missing ear. He turned to Crookshanks and said, 'Let's go see your mistress.'

The cat purred as Severus picked him up.

.

.

Hermione and Harry were still chatting when Severus joined them.

'Crookshanks!' Hermione said happily.

The cat jumped from Severus's arms and went… to the fireplace.

'What does he want?' Harry wondered.

Severus and Hermione traded looks, lost for a moment.

Then, Hermione exclaimed, 'Oh! He wants Poppy to make sure that he can't give me any infection!'

Severus called the resident Mediwitch, and a spell on the cat later, the ball of fur jumped into his mistress's welcoming arms.

'Good kitten. Give him a treat,' Poppy said before Floo'ing back whence she came.

'Speaking of kittens, I've got pets to go get to know. 'Mione, I'll get you the tea you want for our Monday chats, and Severus, I'll hop by to see you tomorrow,' Harry said. He looked straight at Severus and added, 'If she pretends I told her anything, she'll be lying.'

Severus chuckled. 'All right, Harry. Good night, and thank you for the cat,' he said.

'What?' Hermione said.

'Harry called George, and he went to look for your cat. He was still living around the Weasleys',' Severus said.

Hermione opened her mouth to thank Harry, but he just winked.

As he was almost at the door, Harry turned around and said, 'Until Hermione can shield her mind with spells, it's better to not burden her with magical secrets, right?'

Severus nodded.

'Remind me to ask you something else tomorrow, all right?' Harry told Severus.

'As if you'll forget,' Severus snorted.

Harry grinned and left.

Hermione opened her mouth, but Severus spoke first and said, 'He's your cat. He's welcome here. Besides, if he can tell us to check with Pomfrey that he's safe for you, I'm sure he'll never run madly in my lab. I might even brush him sometimes.'

She chuckled and said, 'Use his hair, but don't turn him into a rare potions ingredient.'

'Of course not!' he paused theatrically and added, 'He's not really rare.'

She laughed heartily and cuddled her cat, who purred like the engine of the Hogwarts Express.

.

.

When Harry arrived at his door, he felt something. He opened the door wide and felt a movement.

Once inside with the door warded, Draco took his cloak off.

'Did you want to meet my new pets or see me?' Harry inquired with a grin.

'Both,' Draco answered.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	37. Chapter 37

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Harry smiled widely.

'I can't stay too long,' Draco declared.

'I'm sorry Hermione abducted me,' Harry said.

'I know. It's all right. She's your best friend,' Draco told him.

'She is, but you're becoming a friend, too,' Harry pointed out.

Draco smiled, moved closer to Harry and pecked his lips. Harry blushed a bit and smiled back.

Draco wondered what was going on when Harry flinched and grimaced, but then, the kitten reached Harry's shoulder after climbing along Harry's leg and back.

'Did it hurt you?' Draco asked.

'Sharp little claws, yea,' Harry hissed.

'May I help?' Draco asked.

Harry nodded, and Draco took the kitten from Harry's shoulder.

'You can cast a Healing spell now,' Draco said.

'I trust you to do it,' Harry declared.

Draco cast the spell, and Harry noticed his smile. 'What?' he inquired.

'You've got to be a Legilimens. Your Auror instinct kicked in the minute our new Minister gave you the job, and you wouldn't let me cast a spell on you if you didn't know for _sure_ what's going on in my head,' Draco explained.

'Or I'm quick enough to hex you if you try something funny,' Harry countered him.

Draco smiled and shook his head.

The kitten meowed, demanding attention.

'You should call her Princess; I'm sure she'll be the boss of you before our date,' Draco joked.

'She's a "she"?' Harry said, clearly surprised.

'She's young, but I took the liberty to check, and she's definitely a female. You'll have to take her to a Vet-wizard in a few months if you don't want her to get eaten in the Forbidden Forest while looking for a mate,' he said.

'The owner of the pet shop told me my owl's a male, and I'd assumed that the kitten was one, too. I've got to interview the owner tomorrow, perhaps he'll know someone he can recommend,' Harry said.

'She's very cute, but I bet that she'll become a diva,' Draco predicted.

'My owl will help her behave like a lady,' Harry said.

His owl hooted, as if he understood, which made Harry smile.

'_Lady_, that might be a good name,' Harry said.

Draco didn't look too convinced.

'What? Too Muggle for you?' Harry asked.

'Why, Muggle?' Draco wondered, the reference lost on him. He waved his hand in dismissal and went on, 'It might be a nice name if you add something to it. She's calico, so the easy option would be Lady Calico, or something…'

'Calico?' Harry said.

'You can't really see it under the ton of dust, but yes, she is,' Draco answered. 'I can spell her clean if you want,' he added.

Harry nodded.

Draco looked at the kitten and addressed her, 'Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you.' Then, he cast a mild Cleaning spell that rid the tiny cat of all the grime that she'd got from Knockturn Alley, and that she'd been unable to get rid of.

'There, now she looks like a lady,' Draco said, handing Harry his kitten back.

Harry was blinking.

'What?' Draco asked.

'For a bloke who hexed me several times, you were astounding with her,' Harry explained honestly.

'I like cats,' Draco said, shrugging.

'Do you have cats?' Harry asked incredulously.

'We had a few. I hope they're all right. You know there are limits to magic, and not everybody can cast a Ministry spell on their books, like Pince can do here, and house-elves have their limits, too. There are a few precious books that we had to protect from mice,' Draco explained.

'I hope your cats are fine,' Harry said.

Draco gave him a small smile, and then he looked at Harry's new owl. 'He looks fierce,' he said.

'Perhaps I should call him _Auror_. He helped me today,' Harry said.

Draco huffed.

'Not good,' Harry stated.

'Not good enough, but he's not my owl. Too bad he's not a female…' Draco said, his voice trailing off.

The owl hooted softly, as if to encourage Draco to speak, and he flew from the windowsill to Harry's shoulder.

Harry grinned and, pointing at his owl, told Draco, 'What he said.'

Draco chuckled and said, 'Well, if you want something related to your job, the name of the Greek goddess of vengeance and justice means "retribution, or righteous anger".'

Harry and his owl traded looks; they liked the sound of that.

'For those who don't know mythology, what was her name?' Harry asked.

'Nemesis.'

The owl made an odd sound, as if to indicate that he liked it.

'Is this a name you'd like?' Harry asked the bird.

The owl made a sound that seemed to indicate that he liked the name.

'Nemesis, then?' Harry asked the bird again.

The owl nodded several times.

Harry looked at Draco and said, 'Thanks, it's a very good name.'

'You're welcome,' he almost whispered.

'How was your day?' Harry inquired.

Draco shrugged and said, 'Normal school day.'

Nemesis flew back to the windowsill and the kitten decided to try to follow, but she was too young to jump up there. Harry took Draco's hand and went to sit on the sofa with his friend.

'There's something on your mind,' Harry stated.

Draco sighed deeply, and the sound brought the attention of the kitten back to him, and she jumped onto his lap.

'Draco? Is there something wrong with your fellows?' Harry asked.

Draco intertwined his fingers with Harry's, and Harry feared that Draco was being bullied.

'It's not that,' Draco said.

'It's not about Saturday, because you wouldn't be here otherwise, or you'd be announcing your change of plan, so… What's on your mind?' Harry inquired.

'I had tea with my parents after class, and Father hinted that some people at the Ministry are working to send us to prison,' Draco explained.

'Voldemort might have won the war if your mother hadn't helped me!' Harry protested.

Draco squeezed Harry's hand and said, 'Now that you ended the war, we're fair targets.'

Harry growled, which prompted his kitten to hide inside Draco's robes.

'There's nothing you can do if they want to make an example of us,' Draco declared.

'They all abandoned me to fight an adult war. Now that I've saved their bacon, I'm not going to allow them to use you as scapegoats to cover their cowardice,' Harry growled. He saw that Draco was about to protest, so he went on, 'Look, years ago, your dad was ready to kill me because he's an arrogant prat, but when he realized that Voldemort might not win the war, I just bet that he didn't do a single illegal thing. Your mother was always busy protecting you two, and you… you were trying to find a way out.'

Draco caressed the kitten and didn't say a word.

'Look, I'd arrest you if you hadn't joined us in the last battle. I'll try to find out what's really going on,' Harry said.

'I didn't tell you for you to do something!' Draco protested.

'I know.'

Draco blinked and calmed down.

'If we want to build a better society, we've got to stop using scapegoats. We need a clean government, and I'll help Kingsley in the cleaning,' Harry explained.

'Thank you, Harry,' Draco said. 'You know, I don't know what I should do, or what I want to do in the future, but I don't want to be like my father,' he admitted.

'You know, when he listens to your mum, he's not that bad,' Harry pointed out.

Draco smiled and said, 'Thank you, Auror Potter.'

'Silly,' Harry said affectionately.

Draco looked at Harry and said, 'I should head back to my dorm.'

'I've got a bit of work to do, but if you want to borrow one of the books, you know and read it here, I can escort you back after curfew,' Harry said.

'Really?' Draco asked eagerly.

'No, I'm just bloody teasing you… Of course, I'll escort you back if you want to stay a bit. I'll even call an elf to go see Sev to warn him that you're with me. Okay?' Harry said.

Draco nodded fervently.

A message was sent to the Head of Slytherin, who wasn't worried about Mr Malfoy, at all, and the two young men relocated to Harry's bedroom.

Nemesis stayed where he was, but the kitten had decided that Draco was a good pillow and she followed them.

The two wizards merely wanted to enjoy not being alone. Draco borrowed one of Harry's books and settled on Harry's bed with the kitten on his lap, while Harry typed his reports for Kingsley and started a new file with useful spells for his work.

When Minerva knocked on the door, Harry was still typing spells, a book floating next to his laptop.

'Hey, Min!' he said joyfully.

'It's late, Harry. You're going to overwork yourself,' she told him.

Harry blinked, and he looked at the clock on his laptop; it was midnight.

'Hell! I was so absorbed that I didn't see the time. You should have told me,' Harry said turning towards Draco.

Draco was asleep, curled on Harry's bed, and the kitten was on his shoulder.

'I think he was in no shape to tell you,' Minerva pointed out.

'I warned Sev that Draco's here. Is it a problem if I let him sleep here, or should I escort him?' Harry asked.

'He'll sleep better in his own bed. I'll give him a safe-conduct,' Minerva said as she took a piece of parchment from her pocket.

She walked to the bed and woke Draco up.

'Time to head to your dorm, Mr Malfoy,' she said gently.

Draco got up and accepted the parchment. 'Thank you, Headmistress.'

'I'll keep you posted on my inquiry tomorrow after dinner, okay?' Harry told Draco, who nodded.

Minerva walked Draco to the door. In the corridor, Minerva spotted something odd; she counted on Draco to play along.

'Thank you for your help, Mr Malfoy,' she said.

Draco blinked once, but caught up and said, 'You're welcome, Headmistress. I'm happy I could help. I'll keep my head of house informed.'

Draco walked away, and once he'd turned left towards the stairs, Minerva took a good look around.

'Did you want to see me?' Minerva asked the student hiding in the shadows.

Ginevra took a step into the light; she looked shy and innocent, but Minerva wasn't fooled.

'I'm sorry, Headmistress. I wanted to see Harry, but I couldn't find enough courage to go knock on your door,' Ginevra said.

'Harry's already asleep, but I'll tell him that you wanted to see him. You must go back to your house now; I won't take house point this time, but respect the curfew, Miss Weasley,' Minerva said.

Ginevra smiled and said mildly, 'Thank you, Headmistress. Tell Harry I'd like to make peace with him.'

With a blinding fake smile, Minerva said, 'Don't worry, I'll tell him.'

Ginevra realized that Minerva was no fool, but there was nothing she could do, and she left.

Minerva went back to Harry's room.

'Problem?' Harry asked, as he powered his computer down.

'Ginevra was spying in the corridor. She doesn't suspect that Draco was here to see you. As well, when I caught her spying, she pretended that she wanted to see you and make peace,' she explained.

Harry sighed deeply. 'Thanks for the heads up, Min. She's a very real threat,' he said.

'I'm sorry,' she said softly.

'She made a choice when she sided with Ron against Hermione and Sev,' he pointed out.

'You'll have to be careful,' she added.

'Starting now,' Harry said.

He took his Marauder's Map and activated it.

'Where is she?' Minerva asked.

'In her dorm, and her mates are asleep. At least, I don't have to worry about her right now. I'll have to warn Draco that she's after him,' Harry said.

'I'll have him in my first class in the morning, I can tell him to be careful if you want,' she suggested.

'Yes, please,' Harry said.

She smiled and kissed his brow. 'Now, get some sleep,' she ordered.

'Yes, Min,' he answered, beaming.

'Besides, your kitten's feeling alone,' she added.

He smiled and said, 'My owl decided that Nemesis is a good name, but I'm still stuck for the kitten.'

'Your owl chose his name?' she said.

'Draco suggested it, and Nemesis made it clear that he likes it,' Harry said.

Minerva smiled widely and, looking at the kitten, said, 'I'm sure she'll make it known when you've found a name she likes.'

Harry nodded.

Minerva left him, and Harry quickly undressed with a spell. Before heading to bed, he went to check that Nemesis didn't need anything, and then he settled for the night. The kitten was sharing his pillow when he fell asleep.

Around six in the morning, sharp little claws on his nose woke Harry up.

He groaned and said, 'At your service, Milady.'

The kitten purred like a Muggle engine and licked her two-legged protector. Harry groaned again; he just _knew_ that she liked that name.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	38. Chapter 38

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'Just what I needed, a diva,' Harry mock-complained as he got up to feed his kitten.

He took care of his pets, went shower, got dressed and called an elf to get some breakfast.

Milady settled on his lap and started licking herself in earnest. Nemesis flew onto the table and made it clear that he wanted bits of Harry's breakfast; Harry was happy to have the kitten and owl with him, and he didn't mind caring for them – it felt good and… normal.

When Minerva joined him, she had to chuckle.

'Already bossing you around?' she asked.

He laughed softly. 'Yes, they are. Draco predicted that Milady would have me wrapped around her paw,' he said.

'Milady?' she repeated.

'She's going to be a diva now that she's been rescued and is safe,' Harry answered. 'Oh, speaking of safe, will she be all right while I'm at work?'

'She'll spend a lot of her time sleeping, but I'll keep an eye on her,' she said.

'Thanks!' he told her with a wide smile.

She took a linen napkin and a spoon, and she transfigured them into a collar for Milady. She added a spell that linked the collar to the Protection wards within Hogwarts, and then she fastened it around the kitten's neck with a spell that made sure that she wouldn't get rid of it or get injured because of it.

'There, she can wander freely, but she can't get out of the castle,' she said.

'Brilliant!' Harry exclaimed.

'She's very cute,' Minerva said.

Harry smiled.

'Are you going to have a long day at work that you're having breakfast here?' she inquired.

'I want to start early in order to be able to leave on time. I've got an appointment with Sev later today,' he explained.

'And another kind of meeting with someone else later,' she added, making him blush and nod.

'You deserve some quiet and… fun,' she said.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but Harry beat her to it, 'Don't worry. The spells I've been reading aren't all for work. I listened to you.'

It was her turn to smile. She hugged her charge and, suddenly on the verge of tears, she said, 'I just want you to be happy now.'

Harry hugged her fiercely and said, 'There are dark things in my past, but life's becoming much brighter, thanks to you, Min.'

Minerva framed his face and kissed his brow.

'I'm really grateful that you stepped in for me,' he said.

'I'm happy to have you with me,' she whispered.

Milady meowed loudly and demanded attention. Right then, a cat scratched at the door, and being a well-trained human, Minerva went to open it.

Crookshanks was there, and he walked straight to Milady. The kitten looked happy to see another feline and purred like an engine again.

Hermione's cat looked at Harry, as if to tell him that he'd be Milady's mentor, and he walked out again, with the kitten in tow.

'She's in good paws,' Minerva stated.

Harry nodded and said, 'I'll have to find him a treat to thank him.'

An elf arrived with a magical lunch-bag for Harry, who thanked her.

'I guess I should go put it on my desk, and start my day,' Harry said.

'Have a nice day, dear. I'll see you tonight,' she told him.

Harry took the bag and invited Nemesis to ride on his shoulder. They went to the fireplace and headed to the Ministry through the Floo.

Minerva went to the Great Hall for breakfast. Afterwards, she gave a lesson to the advanced Transfiguration classes (her replacement for the next school year wouldn't arrive until August, and she could keep a few small classes – all the more since so many of her colleagues were helping her with her new duties, and she had to admit that Severus was a precious ally and a hard worker).

Right at the end of her class, she intercepted Draco and warned him against Ginevra. She wasn't surprised when he informed her that he had a friend keeping an eye on the Gryffindor witch. Once he knew that Ginevra was up to something, Minerva warned him that if he broke Harry's heart, he'd have to deal with her.

'We both know we're not going to get married, but there's something now,' Draco admitted.

'Mr Malfoy… Are you all right?' Minerva inquired kindly.

'Yes, Headmistress. Thank you,' Draco lied.

She shook her head and said, 'If you don't want to talk to your head of house, perhaps you could confide in me.'

Draco blinked. 'Why?' he murmured.

'Harry needs to become more cunning, and therefore, he's turning to Deputy Headmaster Snape. But you… you need to learn to use your heart, and I might be able to help,' she explained.

He shook his head and said, 'You've got too many things to work on.'

'I'm not that old, young man,' she mock-protested.

Draco wasn't too bad a Slytherin, and he knew that Minerva could help him become a better wizard… and a better man.

'If you're sure that I wouldn't disturb you,' Draco said softly.

'Come see me whenever you want, Draco,' she told him warmly.

He gave her a small smile that made him look much younger, as if it were erasing the last years and the war.

Minerva went back to her office, and Draco headed for the Library in order to prepare for his next school year. There, he found Hermione working on her lesson plans, and he offered to help her if she needed spells to be cast. She accepted and made him her guinea pig as well.

After taking care of a few urgent files, Minerva called the Minister for Magic.

Kingsley Shacklebolt took that excuse to escape from his office, and he Floo'ed to Hogwarts.

'What can I do for you?' he inquired.

'I called you to discuss Harry's first holidays. I know he's just a trainee, but he'll need a few days off to truly start recovering from the war. He's never gone on holiday, and I want to take him somewhere quiet… Some place where Harry Potter isn't a household name, and where he can start healing from the war. How long can I plan to have him with me this summer?' she asked.

Kingsley, who was sitting comfortably in a chair across from Minerva's desk, looked at her intensely and started nodding.

She decided to wait for his reaction and remained silent.

After a few seconds that seemed very long, Kingsley took his wand and cast a spell to make sure that no one would eavesdrop on them.

'Even though he more than deserve a break, I just bet there are people who wouldn't allow him to take days off so soon after being recruited, even though he's performing Auror duties beautifully with almost no training. However, if we work together, I think I might have an idea,' he said.

'Do tell,' she said with a feral grin.

He chuckled warmly and said, 'If you were to go abroad, I'm sure you could find some nice and quiet place. You know, a place where no one would find you or be able to contact you for… let's say a fortnight. In the meantime, I could send my Auror trainee to get some training in secret. I'd save face, and Harry would get to rest properly for a few days. He'll risk collapsing in the coming year otherwise.'

'I wanted to take him to New Zealand,' she said.

'Absolutely perfect. Around Harry's birthday?' he asked.

'Just before would be better. Then he'd be home from _training_ to spend his birthday with his friends,' she suggested.

He nodded a few times and said, 'Then, I'll plan some fake secret training for him. We're supposed to meet sometime today; I'll inform him of our plan.'

She beamed and said, 'Thank you.'

'He'll do great things, but we need to help him get his sea legs as an adult with a dangerous job,' he declared.

It was her time to nod.

'Is there something else?' he asked.

'Nothing else about Harry, but are there any leads about the ones who used the Grangers?' she inquired.

'I've got a whole team of Unspeakables working on that, but they're still looking for clues,' he answered.

'Ginevra passed the information about the Grangers to someone who decided to use it,' she pointed out.

Kingsley nodded. 'The probability that Ronald is involved in some way is very high, but my men checked and he never left the country. However, we've seen that the Snape haters were quite active right after the end of the war,' he pointed out.

'Ends of wars bring out nasty, hidden feelings,' she murmured.

They traded sad looks.

'No problem for our delightful Mrs Snape?' he asked.

'No, but make sure Curby is sent to jail and the key to his cell lost. Hermione is a good lass, and our entire community will lose a lot if her magic never comes back. She'll be a fantastic Muggle Studies teacher, but I'd rather have her teach Defence,' Minerva growled.

'Still no luck for another replacement?' he said.

'I've got another interview on Monday afternoon. I'll keep you posted,' she promised.

'Thank you,' he said. He paused and added, 'I should probably head back to my desk, or my new secretary will hunt me down.'

Minerva spotted something and shot in the dark, saying, 'You like him.'

Kingsley gasped.

'As I said quite recently, there's nothing wrong with that,' she told him.

He relaxed visibly and shrugged.

She smiled and added, 'We all need to recover from the war.'

He smiled back. 'Well, I'll go back now,' he said, putting an end to his spell on the room.

'I'll be waiting for news about Harry's training,' she said.

The Minister for Magic was still chuckling when he left her office.

Minerva focussed again on her work.

.

.

Harry's day was rather fruitful.

When he arrived at his desk, he first called James in order to ask him if he could come see him next week to get a few more tips, and James told him to visit next Wednesday afternoon (it should be a quiet day because the DCI had court duty in the morning).

Then, Harry took his laptop to go interview the pet-shop owner, and he got an address for a Vet-wizard who'd be able to help with Milady. Harry sent Nemesis to the surgery and got an appointment for the kitten on Thursday in the late afternoon.

Harry headed back to the Ministry and went to Kingsley's office. He liked that the new secretary gave Nemesis a treat after asking him _and_ the bird.

Kingsley took Harry's visit as an excuse to take another short pause in his mad schedule (it wasn't as if Kingsley tried to avoid work, but he knew the amount of work he'll need to do over the next months, and possibly years, and he knew that he had to protect himself not to get burnt out).

'Something to tell me about the Snapes, Harry?' Kingsley inquired.

'No, I've got a question about the Malfoys,' Harry answered honestly.

'What about them?' Kingsley asked.

'I heard that their future might be unsure and that some people, here, might be trying to make them pay for things that happened in the war. I'd like to hear from you what's going on,' Harry said.

Kingsley tilted his head as he observed Harry.

Harry glared and said, 'This has nothing to do with Draco.'

Kingsley chuckled and said, 'I know, and if you must know, the local rumour-mill is betting that you'll start dating Miss Slacer within a month.'

'People! I'll never understand that need to gossip,' Harry growled.

Kingsley winked at his recruit and said, 'Sorry about the tease. About the Malfoys, a few civil servants wanted to have them all prosecuted, but I refused. Lucius is on probation, but not Narcissa, and my spies hinted that Draco doesn't want to follow his father's example, and so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for the moment.'

'Oh, I could probably hex Draco's dad without a second thought, but his mum…' Harry's voice trailed off.

'She's not Lily,' Kingsley said.

Harry snorted. 'I _know_, but if it were not for her wish to reach Draco, Voldemort would have had my throat slit by his snake, or something,' he hissed.

'The Malfoys survived to the ending of the first war, they'll be fine now, again,' Kingsley declared confidently.

'What about their house?' Harry asked.

'I've got Unspeakables inspecting the premises for Dark items. I do believe that Narcissa wants to lead a quiet life from now on, but I know I'll always be wary of Lucius, and I wouldn't put it past him to keep some kind of protection in secret caches. The work of my spies will be done very soon… Today, I think. I estimate that the Malfoys will be able to leave their Hogwarts quarters this weekend. I'll have John notify them as soon as possible,' Kingsley said.

Harry noticed the way Kingsley said his secretary's name, and Kingsley noticed that he noticed.

Harry smiled and said, 'I think he likes you, too, and not because you're the Minister.'

'Brat!' Kingsley pretended to growl to hide his blush.

'Well, it was very kind of you to tell me the plan for the Malfoys. I'll leave you to your work, and I'll go back to mine, which will make the rumour-mill spin since I need to go see Lola. She should have news about the stuff I need from Japan,' Harry declared.

'Don't let them bug you, Harry,' Kingsley said kindly.

Harry beamed at his boss.

'One last thing, Harry. I'm conspiring with Minerva to allow you to go abroad with her. Officially, you'll be going to some special training. Minerva will tell you more soon,' Kingsley declared.

Harry blinked. He knew that it'd be wise to rest for real for a bit, and he thanked his boss.

'You're becoming a good Auror,' Kingsley said.

Harry smiled with pride, winked and left.

John knocked on the door and walked into the office. 'I've done all the papers, Sir,' he said.

'Which ones?' Kingsley inquired.

Pointing a thumb towards the door, John said, 'For Potter's July training.'

'Come show me what you invented,' Kingsley said as he activated a Secrecy spell that had them in a protective bubble.

John nodded and walked next to his boss – his boss who saw the hint of a blush that told him that Harry was right about John liking him, and suddenly, the bigotry of his former secretary, who'd been promoted to the Archives, sounded like a very nice twist of fate. The world was at peace for the moment, and Kingsley would have time to get to know John, and… see where things would head.

.

.

Harry found Lola filling out stacks of bumph at her desk. She was writing in Japanese with a tiny brush.

'Hello, Lola! Beautiful writing!' he said.

She shushed him and finished writing down three very complicated kanji. When she was done, she put the brush down and said, 'Sorry, Harry! Hi!'

'I understand,' he said.

'This is the permit to get the equipment you need, and the Japanese ministry wants it done the traditional way… and I don't write those words that often,' she explained.

'Sorry about all the work!' he apologized.

'No! It's okay, Harry! It's just that you're the first to come say "hello" to me here at my desk, and I was a bit afraid to have to redo the scroll,' she said.

'No one comes to see you?' he said.

'Everything's very compartmentalized, you know,' Lola's neighbour declared.

'That's a spell for disaster. No pun intended,' Harry said with a deep sigh.

Lola's neighbour nodded frantically. She was older than Lola and seemed to work in a much different language.

She noticed Harry's look to her papers and held out her hand, saying, 'I'm Irina Hubble. Russian's my specialty.'

Harry shook hands with her.

'By the way, you might be able to help Irina,' Lola told Harry.

'How?' he inquired.

Irina glared at her colleague, but Lola was unfazed when she said, 'She's got to deliver Ministry files to a foreign wizard who's suspected of being a warlock. She wanted to go alone.'

'No way in hell!' Harry declared.

Harry ended up escorting Irina, and when the warlock tried to hex her, Harry arrested him and took him back to the Ministry.

Irina and Lola went to Harry's office to invite him to lunch, to chat and to thank him.

'The Hogwarts elves made my lunch,' he apologized, pointing at his bag.

'No problem, you can take it to the cafeteria. It's a space for lunch, you don't _have_ to buy your meal there,' Irina said.

Lola chuckled and said, 'There was a wizard from the Archives who had his lunch delivered from Germany each day. He did so until he retired.'

With his owl perched on his shoulder, Harry went to the cafeteria with his two colleagues, and they told him stories about their department and work at the Ministry. A few people from other departments joined them, and Alex Cairo sat next to Harry in order to be properly introduced to Nemesis.

The rumour-mill was losing its bearings.

Harry was delighted to hear so many wild tales about the Ministry, and he relaxed… until Nemesis tensed and flew off. The faithful owl hunted something that was crawling in a corner, and he brought it back to his master.

Harry recognized that Animagus instantly.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	39. Chapter 39

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

It took all his will-power to not blast her into oblivion.

'Transform back, right this instant!' Harry ordered.

His voice was so cold that he chilled and frightened nearly everybody around. Two of his Auror colleagues moved to his table for backup.

The insect transformed back into Harry's least favourite journalist.

'I see you're still spying, Miss Skeeter,' Harry said coldly.

'There, there, Harry, not spying, boy! Just passing by,' Rita said smoothly.

'Right! And if that's the truth, I'm a ballet dancer!' Harry growled. 'What are you doing here?' he demanded.

'There, there,' she patronized him.

Harry was remaining calm, but it was tough.

'Auror Potter asked you a question, Miss,' one of Harry's colleagues told Skeeter.

The other one moved behind her and said, 'I wonder if she's a registered Animagus.'

The two Aurors didn't really know Harry, and their office was on the other side of the Auror Department, so they hadn't properly been introduced, but both men had seen on the General Board of Auror Arrests and Actions what the young wizard had already done with little training. They were quite happy to have him working with them. Until he got his sea legs, they'd help him as often as they could; it was normal Auror solidarity.

'Are you registered?' the other Auror insisted, moving closer to Skeeter.

Harry recognized his colleagues' technique from a chapter that he'd read in his handbook, and he joined them. 'Yes, Miss Skeeter, are you registered _now_?' he asked, with some fake warmth, but adding one more threat to the question by implying that he knew something.

'I'm a journalist, as you all know…,' Rita began to say.

'Perhaps _they_ know, but I don't, so answer the question, Miss. You were caught on Ministry property, transformed into an Animagus form, and you're not answering three Aurors,' the first one said.

'Two Aurors, Potter's not…' she began to say.

The other older Auror interrupted her and growled, 'Auror Potter is a trainee, who will certainly get his full badge by next year. Answer our questions!'

'I'm a renowned journalist!' she protested.

'So you keep saying!' the first Auror growled.

'Don't you know me?' Rita asked, suddenly genuinely puzzled.

'She's the one I told you about, Marc,' the second Auror told his colleague.

'Oh, that one! Papers, Miss,' Marc said.

'Don't you know who I am?' Rita spat.

'In fact, no. We only read _The Times_ in my family,' Marc said.

'Eh?' Rita said.

Harry sighed and said, 'Very well-written non-magical newspaper. Even _I_ know that… Really!'

'A… _Muggle_ newspaper,' Rita said. Her moue showed all her disdain.

'Yes, Miss, nothing like a fish-wrapper, if you get what I mean,' Marc said.

'Now, papers, order of mission and Animagus registration,' Marc's colleague, Enys, said.

'Why?' Rita answered defiantly.

'Because your behaviour is quite suspicious, lady,' Marc said.

'The staff cafeteria is off limit to people uninvited or unrelated to Ministry personnel,' a very old witch declared with an orotund voice.

Harry looked at her badge, which indicated that she worked at the welcome desk, and then he asked her, 'Are you sure, Mrs Mansion?'

'Quite, Auror Potter. It dates back to 1702, when the potential suitor of an employee kept coming and bothering her; the Minister at the time was courting the lady himself, and passed a law to this effect,' Mrs Mansion explained.

'Thank you, Ma'am,' Enys said.

'You're welcome, Auror McKilroy. You and Auror Cucina should invite Miss Skeeter to your office. I'm sure she's got plenty to confess,' Mrs Mansion said.

Marc and Enys each took Rita by an arm.

She looked at Harry and hissed, 'You always were an annoying brat.'

'And we'll add insult to an Auror to the charges,' Enys said joyfully.

'Come see us sometime next week, Harry,' Marc said.

Harry nodded. 'I'm sorry that you're stuck dealing with her,' he said.

'Ach, don't worry, it's a good opportunity to catch up with your record for this week, mate!' Marc told him.

Harry grinned.

'Despicable,' Rita hissed in a murmur.

Nemesis flew off again, circled the room, aimed at Rita and left a whitish souvenir on her couture suit. Everybody laughed, and Harry gave Nemesis an extra treat.

Alex Cairo talked to the owl and told him, 'You're a good owl, protecting your human and all that. You're nice.'

Nemesis looked incredibly pleased by the compliment.

'And he's quite good!' Harry praised his owl, who cleaned his feathers, as if nothing happened.

'You know, Auror Potter, there were a few other Aurors who worked closely with their owls,' Mrs Mansion told him.

'Nice! Thanks, Ma'am, I'll have to ask Irma if she's got something on the topic in her books,' Harry said.

'Pince's letting you use the Hogwarts Library, eh?' Mrs Mansion said with a grin.

Harry nodded.

'That little girl is good. She must have felt that you'll be a good civil servant. Who knows? Maybe one day, you'll be Minister for Magic,' Mrs Mansion declared.

'Oh, no, Ma'am! I don't think I'll ever turn to politics,' Harry protested.

'Perhaps you'll end up being Head Auror,' Lola added.

Harry laughed heartily and said, 'Let me get my full badge first, will you?'

'But it could happen… You started great, we all know it,' Lola insisted.

'She might be right,' Irina said.

Harry chuckled and said, 'All right, if Lola's right, I'll take her and her family to the best Muggle restaurant in town.'

Lola grinned.

'Of course, I'll have to ask Professor Hermione Snape which place is the best,' Harry added in a chuckle.

They all laughed softly.

Harry turned to Mrs Mansion and said, 'Thanks for your help, Ma'am.'

'You're welcome, Auror Potter. I never liked that quill-pusher. Oh… and here's another girl that I don't like, so I'll flee. Goodbye!' the old witch said, as she spotted Dolores Umbridge.

Lola hissed something in Japanese.

'I understand the feeling,' Harry said in a whisper.

Umbridge walked straight to Harry. 'What have you done this time?' she asked.

'Whatever do you mean?' Harry asked as quietly as possible.

'You ordered your friends to hassle Rita Skeeter,' Umbridge spat.

Harry laughed softly and said, 'How could I give anyone orders? I'm a trainee, and my colleagues are respectable Aurors with full status.'

'You could have used the Imperius,' Umbridge declared.

Quietly, Harry stood up. He wasn't very much taller than the witch, but he _was_ taller now.

With a soft, but cold voice, Harry asked, 'Are you accusing me of using an illegal spell?'

Umbridge still thought that Harry was the teen she'd been able to torture at Hogwarts when he was younger, but the end of the war had profoundly changed him.

'You're capable of anything!' Umbridge shouted.

'Are you saying that I used the Imperius curse on my two colleagues?' Harry asked.

'Yes!' Umbridge shouted.

'An active Auror, nominated by the current Minister for Magic represents the aforementioned Minister for Magic. Such an Auror acts for the Minister and such an Auror is the law,' Harry said.

Someone at another table nearby said, 'He's quoting the Auror manual!'

Umbridge looked at Harry as if he'd blown a fuse. 'What do you mean, boy?'

'I mean that since you believe that I'm capable of using an illegal spell – and am thus a rogue wizard, you're implying that our Minister is knowingly appointing bad people. You are insulting our Minister when you say that. I don't care about what you think of me – and we both know what you think of me, but I cannot allow you to disparage Minister Shacklebolt. _Apologize_,' Harry said.

Everybody was looking at them, and Umbridge was furious.

'We're still a democracy. I can say whatever I want,' Umbridge answered defiantly.

'Fine.' Harry said softly, with a small smile.

Umbridge smirked. 'You see, boy,' she said.

'I think you misunderstood, Miss. I'll have to give you a fine,' Harry said. 'Unless you _do_ apologize,' he added slyly.

Umbridge froze on the spot for a couple of seconds, and then she began to blink.

'Oh, he's good!' someone commented.

Clenching her teeth, Umbridge murmured, 'I'm sorry.'

'I know you're sorry that I caught you insulting Minister Shacklebolt. You'll have to do better than that,' Harry declared.

Blushing furiously, Umbridge said, 'I apologize.'

'You see, that wasn't so difficult. Now you'll have to keep in mind that I'll work to become a very good Auror, and that I won't stand any illegal activity. Rita Skeeter had to follow my two colleagues because she was trespassing, and quite possibly spying. Times are changing; what was possible during the war against Tom Riddle, the Dark wizard who was calling himself Voldemort, is a thing of the past. You mentioned democracy, Miss, and I can assure you that I'll protect it,' Harry declared.

Kingsley, who'd been told about the ongoing exchange in the cafeteria, arrived as discreetly as a hunting cat. When he was right behind Umbridge, he said, 'Thank you, Auror Potter. I was told that you're working even during your lunch time.'

'Well, my instructors and the Auror manual hinted that Auror duty never ends, Minister,' Harry declared.

Kingsley's chuckle was very warm.

'Not even elected by the book,' Umbridge hissed under her breath.

'The 1745 Law must still be in the Law corpus since everybody's obeying Minister Shacklebolt. If no one – and that means even you, Miss – challenged Healer Fille's spell, Minister Shacklebolt was _legally_ named,' Harry said.

'He's right,' Irina said, glaring at Umbridge.

'I bet she didn't have the guts to try for the job,' someone said.

'But she must have been dreaming about it!' someone else added.

The murmur of approval made Umbridge blush.

'If you have something to tell me, you know where to find my office, don't you?' Kingsley told the annoying witch with a wide, but fake, smile.

She nodded and left.

Harry kept an eye on her, and he spotted a sort of shimmer next to her. That reminded him of something that he'd sometimes spotted at Hogwarts, back when Albus was still alive, and he wondered if the shimmer was a spell hiding an Unspeakable. Kingsley noticed Harry's intense look, and when his latest Auror looked at him, he winked, which made Harry smile.

'I heard you were being my champion,' Kingsley told Harry.

'He was great!' Lola said enthusiastically.

'I know I'm just a trainee, but I can't allow anyone to imply that you made a mistake when you appointed me. I know I've got many, many things to learn, but I know I can become a good Auror,' Harry said.

'Appointing you was the first thing I did as a Minister, and it was a very good thing. I want to believe that it was an inspiration for my job as the Minister for Magic,' Kingsley declared.

Harry smiled, and the other people in the cafeteria beamed.

'I'll just grab a cup of tea, and I'll head back to work,' Kingsley said.

'I should do the same, minus the tea,' Harry said.

'Make sure that you have your reports ready for Monday,' Kingsley told his youngest Auror.

Harry nodded.

'Inspection?' Lola asked.

Harry smiled and said, 'No, Minister Shacklebolt is nominating a new Head Auror, and my new boss will want to check what I've been doing.'

Kingsley grinned and looked extremely proud of Harry.

'Then, I'll hop to Japan to get the things you need from Yamaguchi-sensei,' Lola said.

'I don't want any special treatment,' Harry protested.

'It's not, silly! You're the first in your department to need our help in a long time, and as a colleague, I just want to help you. Besides, it'll be a good thing to upgrade our techniques. We've got magic, but if we're not careful, the Muggles will get the upper hand in… well… everything,' Lola explained.

Harry blinked and thanked her.

Harry's colleagues and he agreed to have lunch together whenever they could, and then Harry headed to his desk to make sure that all his reports would be ready for Monday.

When he reached his office, Nemesis emitted a discreet sound that alerted Harry. From the corner of his eye, he could spot a shimmer, exactly like the one he'd seen following Umbridge.

Harry left his door open, and he tried to see who was in the room with him, but to no avail. Since Nemesis wasn't attacking, he decided that he was just being observed.

After a few minutes, the shimmer moved.

'If you need anything… I'm ready to help,' Harry declared loudly to the seemingly empty room.

From the corridor, Harry heard the soft and melodious chuckle of a witch. He reflected that the Unspeakable would make herself visible only if she wished. In fact, Harry would recognize her chuckle in three days, when meeting his new boss (Kingsley had convinced an Unspeakable, who was about to leave her active service, that becoming Head Auror would be a good move).

Harry checked his reports, arranged his desk after Lola brought him the power cubes, and he went patrolling in Knockturn Alley with Nemesis before heading home to Hogwarts and a serious chat with Severus.

.

.

Nemesis decided that it was dinner-time for him, and he flew outside to hunt.

Harry found the Deputy Headmaster in the Potions classroom, which looked a bit like a battlefield.

'Do you need help?' Harry asked.

'No, thank you. Remind me why I came back to work here?' Severus said.

'Because you'll teach your own children in a few years,' Harry declared.

'Are you, Auror Potter, conspiring with my wife?' Severus asked.

'I don't need to conspire with the other Professor Snape. You'll have another child after this first baby, and you won't need any convincing,' Harry answered.

Severus chuckled. 'Let's go to my office, shall we?' he suggested.

Harry followed him.

Once there, Severus called an elf to get some tea, and he cast a charm on the wall to protect their privacy.

'Hermione's convinced that you want a daughter,' Harry said.

'No, I just want Hermione to get her magic back, and the baby to be all right. Daughter or son isn't really important,' Severus told Harry.

'Let's imagine that you could choose. What would you prefer?' Harry insisted.

Severus glared at the younger wizard.

'You know, now that I live with Minerva, I'm beginning to have feline tendencies, but if you tell me, I can promise you that I won't betray you,' Harry said.

Severus looked at Harry and murmured, 'A daughter.'

Harry spoke softly when he said, 'One day, you'll be great with a son, too, you know.'

'How was your week?' Severus asked.

'Nice try, but if you're worrying so much, you'll be great,' Harry countered him.

'Potter!' Severus growled.

'I just _bet_ that you'll be great, and you'll have Hermione with you. She'll make sure you don't blow a fuse,' Harry insisted.

Severus looked at his guest for a few seconds. 'You might have a point, but I'd really like to have a daughter,' he admitted.

'Just a few more months to wait,' Harry said.

'You'll be godfather,' Severus declared.

Harry blinked.

'You'll be good, and I know Hermione will be happy if there's some official link between us,' Severus admitted.

Harry beamed.

Severus poured the tea and asked, 'Hermione told me that your feelings for Ginevra were deep. How do you feel?'

'Like a betrayed idiot, but it's weird…' Harry's voice trailed off.

'What?' Severus inquired gently.

'Min helped me understand why Hermione had to try everything to bring you back to life by making a comparison with my feelings for Ginny, but the instant she took side with Ron against you two, it's as if she'd closed a book – our book – and tossed it into the lake. She broke something,' Harry explained.

'I'm sorry, Harry,' Severus said softly.

Harry shrugged and said, 'It's got to be better to see her true face now, rather than later.'

'Indeed,' Severus agreed.

'It was meant to happen that way. I hoped that we could start dating again, but I'll have to find someone else,' Harry said.

'Might it be Malfoy?' Severus inquired.

Harry chuckled and said, 'We both need to do something mad to make sure that we survived the war. We're planning to use Sex spells together because we want to. We are not going to get married.'

'Narcissa would make a good mother-in-law,' Severus said.

'I admire her; I might end up becoming friends with Draco, but Lucius… Yuk!' Harry said.

Severus laughed softly; he bet that the future Mrs Draco Malfoy would have to be quite extraordinary.

'When are you going to see the Grangers again?' Harry asked.

Severus groaned and said, 'Our dear Minister for Magic had someone give them a way to contact us, and we're invited to lunch tomorrow.'

'It's just a lunch,' Harry said.

Severus glared and said, 'I'd rather spend that time with my wife. _Alone_… But since she was so afraid about them, I'll go.'

'Be nice to them,' Harry said with a small smile.

'Why?' Severus wondered.

'Because there might be a time when you'll need them to baby-sit your child,' Harry pointed out.

Severus blinked. 'You do have a point,' he conceded.

'What Hermione taught me is finally paying off,' Harry declared.

Severus smiled; Potter was becoming an interesting adult, worthy of his mother.

'You mentioned something that you can't tell Hermione because she can't shield her thoughts at the moment,' Severus said.

'It's something huge,' Harry admitted.

'I'm willing to help,' Severus declared.

'The Deathly Hallows are mine,' Harry said.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	40. Chapter 40

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Severus's eyebrows rose with surprise. He recovered quickly and inquired, 'How did that happen?'

Harry explained how he added the wand and the stone to the Cloak he'd inherited from his father through Albus.

Severus chuckled.

'What?' Harry inquired.

'Nothing… Not much. I just find it poetic that you cast a Memory-charm on the portrait of the man who died because he was so eager to get his hands on one of the Deathly Hallows. He wanted them, and now you've got them. Entirely by chance,' Severus explained.

'So, what do I do now?' Harry asked.

'Nothing. Only Ollivander would know what happened to your wand, so there's no need to put the Elder wand back in Albus's tomb; it's your wand now, and when you die, it'll turn into a simple piece of wood. The Cloak is passed on in your family, and when you have children, or name your heir, you can give it to someone else. The same is true for the ring with the Resurrection stone,' Severus said.

'But shouldn't I hide the ring somewhere?' Harry inquired.

'Let's face it, Harry; the safest place is one of your fingers. In fact…' Severus's voice trailed off.

'You think I should keep my Invisibility cloak with me at all times,' Harry said.

'Indeed, Auror Potter,' Severus agreed.

Harry smiled. 'I'm learning,' he said proudly.

Severus nodded once and said, 'I'm sure your parents would be proud.'

Suddenly moved, Harry murmured, 'Thanks, Sev.'

'You're welcome,' Severus answered.

'It'd have been nice if Tonks were here to teach me… and Remus, too,' Harry said.

'You've had good models and teachers since you joined us,' Severus told him.

Harry nodded fervently and added, 'Yes, and now Kingsley and James have put me on the right path, and next week, I'll get a new boss. Well… the Auror Department is.'

Severus noticed something odd about Harry's reaction and asked, 'Is there something bothering you?'

'Oh, no, Sev! It's just that something happened with an invisible Unspeakable. I think she wanted to test me. Perhaps she'll make a report to my future boss,' Harry said.

'Not entirely impossible. Did you indicate that you were aware of her presence?' Severus asked.

'I told her I was ready to help if she wanted. God, she must think I'm nuts!' Harry said, almost wailing.

'Harry, it took me months to spot Unspeakables. You're very gifted, and you don't even see it. I'll ask my wife to keep teaching you in order to boost your self-esteem,' Severus declared.

'So you think it's good that I told the lady in my office that I knew she was there?' Harry asked.

Severus glared.

'It's good because she knows I can spot whatever spell is shielding the Unspeakables, and if I can do that, I can fight against warlocks efficiently,' Harry said.

'You already have a lot of experience with warlocks,' Severus pointed out with a chuckle.

'Yea, but I hope my work will lead me to deal with the average, silly, not-really-dangerous warlock, not the crazy, Dark-lord-wannabe variety!' Harry joked.

'I'm sure you'll be able to stop the Dark lords in the making,' Severus agreed, smiling widely.

'Thanks,' Harry said softly, a bit moved.

Severus looked at Harry strangely and after a few seconds said, 'You'll have to be very careful. It'd be very easy to end up being exhausted; you'll have to keep learning, but you'll have to make sure that you're not pushing yourself too much. You're an Auror, but the war is over, and you must get enough sleep, get good meals and learn to leave work at your desk.'

'An Auror's never off duty,' Harry whispered.

'Yes. However that doesn't mean that you must start patrolling by night. You've got your night colleagues for that. If you see a crime being committed, you'll do something, but you must get some time off, or in two years, you'll break down… possibly for good. Think of your duty as a marathon, not a speed test; you need to be able to keep running,' Severus explained.

'You didn't stop,' Harry protested in a mumble.

Severus was forced to smile. 'Harry, I was much older than you were when I was dragged into the war, and now that it's over, I'm planning to teach Potions and enjoy life with Hermione,' he said.

Harry cooed, and when he realized what he'd done, he put his hand over his mouth and blushed. Severus only chuckled.

'All right, I probably should listen to you,' Harry said. He looked at Severus strangely and asked, 'Say, Sev, how do I explain the ring? People are still analyzing my every move; someone's bound to notice it. Even if Skeeter ends up in jail for breaking into the Ministry, she won't stay there forever, and she'll spot it.'

'You can either say that it's a family heirloom that you were given after the war, or you can tell the truth and say that it's Albus who gave it to you,' Severus said.

Harry nodded and said, 'I think I'll mention Albus.'

'Perfect. Now, what happened with Skeeter?' Severus inquired.

Harry smiled and told Severus what happened, which delighted the Deputy Headmaster entirely too much.

Then, the topic turned to tips about the spells that Harry was planning to learn from Draco the next day. Instead of trying to make Harry blush, Severus took their talk like some training for the day he'd have to explain sex to Hermione's and his child.

A few minutes before dinner, Hermione arrived with Draco.

'Hermione?' Severus said.

She smiled and said, 'Draco's been helping me after his last lesson, and he insisted on escorting me here.'

'Mr Malfoy?' Severus said, turning to his student.

'I know it's odd, but Weasley's recent actions made me uneasy, and I didn't want to leave Professor Snape unprotected,' Draco explained.

'I'm safe, Draco. The house-elves are watching over me,' Hermione said.

'That was nice,' Harry pointed out.

Hermione could tease her best friend, but it'd be cruel to both wizards. She chuckled and said, 'Yes, it was.'

'By the way, Draco, I've got good news for you,' Harry said.

'What?' Draco inquired with eagerness.

'I can tell you after dinner,' Harry offered.

'I don't keep secrets from Professor Snape,' Draco said, looking at Severus. He looked at Hermione and added, 'Or from Professor Snape.'

Harry told Draco what the Minister had said about not prosecuting the Malfoys, and allowing Draco's parents to go home.

'Then you can check that your cats are all right,' Hermione said.

Harry looked at Draco and smiled.

'Oh, quiet, Potter! I spent most of the afternoon with Hermione, and when her cat came to see her with yours, I spilled the beans,' Draco mock-complained.

Harry chuckled and winked, which made Draco chuckle in his turn. Right on cue, Crookshanks and Milady arrived. The kitten was exhausted, and she demanded that her biped carry her, which Harry did obediently. Once Milady was in Harry's arms, Crookshanks headed to the Snapes' quarters.

'I should go see my parents before dinner,' Draco said, as he scratched Milady's head.

'Do so, Mr Malfoy,' Severus said.

Draco nodded at the Snapes, and he turned to Harry and asked, 'Shall I wait by your door after dinner?'

Harry nodded enthusiastically, and Draco left.

Hermione was about to scratch Milady when Severus took her hand in his. 'Did Pomfrey check that this one is safe for you, as well?' he inquired.

'Yes, she sent me a house-elf, who said that Poppy had cast spells on most animals on the school grounds,' she answered, squeezing her husband's hand.

He smiled and freed her hand.

The three humans and the kitten decided to head to the Great Hall. They were reaching the ground floor when Harry spotted Ginevra.

'Got an idea, keep walking,' he whispered to Severus.

Harry walked a bit faster towards his ex-girlfriend and said, 'Hi, Ginny! Minerva gave me your message. I left too early this morning, but here I am now.'

Ginevra was too surprised by such an opening to say anything when the Snapes walked past them.

'Well, I heard that you might have already found a new girlfriend,' Ginevra said.

Harry was relieved that his affair with Draco was still secret, and he asked, 'Good heavens, who?'

'A girl at the Ministry,' Ginevra explained.

Harry chuckled and said, 'Nope! I made friends, but they're _colleagues_; that's all. You know how gossip works.'

Ginevra was troubled and didn't know what to make of this new, different Harry.

Harry decided to use the "puppy act" on Ginevra. He put on his best smile and said, 'So, what do you want us to do?'

She was so surprised that she didn't notice when Harry cast the Legilimency spell on her in silence.

"_What's he doing? Quick! Lie_!" she thought. 'Erm… this whole thing is mad. I was so stressed that I must have said stupid things,' she said.

Harry kept smiling, but he was angry to discover how bitter she really was. 'The ending of the war was mad. You didn't really answer my question, Ginny,' he said.

Thanks to the spell he was using, Harry knew that she was quite surprised and grasping for an idea – any idea.

'Why don't we forget what happened at the hospital?' she suggested.

'We can try,' Harry said, still smiling like a demented Cheshire-Cat. He pretended to joke when he added, 'As long you as you don't cast any spells on Hermione. I'd have to arrest you otherwise.'

'Of course not! I'd never do that to Hermione!' she exclaimed. She thought, "_I'd have it done_."

Harry's blood froze in his veins. He wanted to cry and punch the girl who'd become so petty; he fought as hard as he could and he did neither.

'We could go back to what we had,' Ginny said, pretending to be shy.

'We can try,' Harry lied. 'One step at a time, right?'

Ginny nodded fervently and thought, "_I might be able to get him to help me with our plan_."

'Look, I'm stuck this weekend… and probably on Monday, too, because the Department is getting a new boss, but I live here, so I should be able to get a bit of time to chat with you,' he said.

'Perfect,' she said with a bright, fake smile.

'Hermione's still my best friend and Snape's with her now. You understand,' he said, turning the "puppy act" a notch up.

'Of course, Harry!' she lied.

'Cool! I've got to run to take my cat home. I'll see you around, okay?' he said.

She nodded, took a step towards him and pecked his cheek quickly and was gone, pretending to look shy and still in love.

Harry rushed upstairs. Milady was growling in his arms.

'I know, Milady, I know,' Harry said as he tried to calm her down. 'I'm proud of you, kitty!' he added, scratching her.

Harry was quite proud of his pets. Nemesis was highly magical and quite efficient as an Auror owl, and Milady, for a normal pet, had quite a good instinct when it came to bad people, and Ginevra Weasley now was in that category.

Once in his quarters, Harry closed the door, put Milady down on the carpet, and cast a charm to call Kreacher.

The house-elf arrived instantly and said, 'No need to be afraid, Auror Potter, we've already increased the protection of Professor Snape and her husband.'

Harry crouched and hugged Kreacher. 'Thank you!' he whispered.

'You're welcome, Auror Potter. We promised to help. We'll let her fend for herself when her magic is back, but until then, she's a Hogwarts professor who needs help,' Kreacher said.

'You're quite efficient!' Harry praised the house-elves.

'One of us thought that perhaps Miss Weasley was harbouring a part of the Dark Lord since she'd been his victim, but the darkness is only from her. I'm sorry,' Kreacher said.

'You did check. Thank you,' Harry said, standing again. 'Would the one who checked her teach me how he did it?' he asked.

'I'll ask _her_, but this is our magic, I don't know if you can do it,' Kreacher said.

'Just ask this lady house-elf if she'd give it a try. I'm curious about the technique… and I'll hop by the kitchen to thank you all very soon,' Harry said.

'You're welcome, Auror Potter,' Kreacher said as he started going back to the kitchen to help serve dinner.

Harry looked at Milady and said, 'Be a good kitty. I'll be back soon after dinner.'

The kitten was busy attacking the fringe of the carpet, and she didn't notice her biped leave.

When Harry reached the Great hall on the teachers' side, Severus was waiting for him. Harry tapped his head to invite Severus to use Legilimency, which touched the Deputy Headmaster.

"_It's even worse than I feared. Ginevra's more twisted than even Ron, but the elves have increased the security around Hermione_," Harry explained.

Severus sighed deeply and nodded his thanks as he broke the connection. If Ginevra, or anyone linked to her, tried anything against Hermione, Harry knew that Severus would use the Killing curse, which would be perfectly legal if it were to protect his wife.

Severus and Harry went to have dinner, and spy on Ginevra and her allies. Of course, Hermione and Minerva were observing the students, too.

After dinner, the Snapes announced that they had a few things to do to get ready for their lunch with the Grangers the next day; that told Harry that he was free for the night (and the weekend).

The young Auror rushed home, where he found Draco waiting for him under his own Invisibility cloak. They both collapsed on the sofa, and Milady demanded that Draco pick her up.

'What's wrong, Harry?' Draco asked.

His former enemy looked so concerned that it did something to Harry. 'Ginny completely blew a fuse, and she's trying to use me to harm Hermione. It hurts,' he said.

His last words almost sounded like a sob.

Draco opened his arms, and Harry accepted the warmth and friendship.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	41. Chapter 41

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'I understand,' Draco whispered.

Harry moved back slightly to take a look at Draco. 'Pansy?'

Draco shrugged.

'Draco…' Harry said softly.

'It's just that she fled, but it's not that bad. It's not as if I'd…,' he began to say.

Harry finished the sentence in a soft whisper, 'Not as if you'd been in love with her.'

Draco looked sad and nodded.

'Not the way I loved Ginny,' Harry added.

'I'm sorry, Harry,' Draco mumbled.

Harry gave him a small, but sad, smile and brought his hand to Draco's cheek. Draco was about to lean into the caress when Milady meowed like only a kitten can.

The two young men looked at each other and started laughing quite heartily, which broke the tension and uneasiness due to the topic of their ex-girlfriends.

Harry moved closer to Draco, and both caressed the kitten.

'You know, I was studious and did all my homework,' Draco stated quietly.

'Which means that you're free until Monday morning,' Harry added.

Draco nodded.

'Draco… I'm very clumsy and completely lost. Are you saying that you want us to spend the night together?' Harry asked.

'If it's all right with you… yes,' Draco answered.

Harry moved his hand to Draco's and laced their fingers together. Draco squeezed gently, and Harry smiled.

'We can't stay here,' Harry said. 'It's safe, but Min's going to head here soon, and we'd be too uncomfortable knowing that she's nearby. We could try the Room of Requirement.'

'Good idea. Perhaps you can call Snape's elf once we're there. It could get messy if he were to look for me for whatever reason,' Draco said.

Harry nodded.

Right then, Nemesis landed outside the biggest window, and Harry stood up to allow his owl in. Nemesis hopped onto Harry's shoulder.

'Do you want a treat?' Harry asked his owl.

Nemesis looked at Draco, decided that he could trust Harry's current boyfriend, and he shook his head.

'Perhaps he wants to stay with you,' Draco told Harry.

'So, what? We can't take him with us to… try the spells,' Harry said.

'Why not? The Room of Requirement can be spelled to be big enough to allow us to seclude Nemesis and Milady to an area all to themselves. A corner that'd be far from the bed,' Draco said.

Harry chuckled.

'What?' Draco asked with a pout.

Harry smiled and said, 'My owl wants to invite himself, and you don't want to leave the kitten behind.'

Draco's cheeks coloured ever so slightly and he murmured, 'She's so tiny.'

Harry knew that Nemesis would find his balance on his shoulder, so he leant down and pecked Draco's lips. Harry felt Draco's lips follow his a bit when he moved back, and he found that he loved the feeling.

'In the mood to carry the kitten under your Invisibility cloak?' Harry asked.

Draco nodded and prepared himself swiftly.

Harry was grinning when he opened the door. Draco made sure that Harry could feel the material of his cloak against his hand.

They were reaching the stairs when Minerva arrived.

'What are you doing with your owl?' Minerva began to scold him.

'Easy, Min! Nemesis wanted to come for a ride, but I'm not working,' Harry said.

'It looks as if you're about to patrol the grounds,' Minerva insisted.

'No, Min, I'm just going out, and _we're_ going… somewhere. I'll be home sometime before Monday morning. All right?' Harry said.

It took Minerva quite a few seconds to realize what her charge was telling her, and when she put two and two together, she nodded slowly.

Harry didn't give her time to start giving him pieces of advice, and he rushed downstairs.

'It's a good thing Nemesis is here, because I won't look like a lunatic when I say that we got lucky she didn't react faster,' Harry said.

Milady meowed. Apparently, she was getting impatient.

'All right, we'll hurry up,' Harry said with a chuckle.

They arrived in the corridor where the Room of Requirement was. Harry tried to summon it, but it didn't work.

'It's been fully restored by the magic of the castle, though!' Harry protested.

'My parents used it,' Draco whispered as softly as he could.

'Too bad I didn't take my magical map. I could see if it's being used,' Harry growled. 'Where to, now?'

'Are we alone?' Draco whispered.

Harry cast a spell that revealed that there was no one around for the moment. Draco got rid of his cloak to share his idea on the topic with Harry.

'Promise you'll never reveal what I'm going to show you,' Draco said.

'I promise,' Harry said softly.

Draco looked at Nemesis and said, 'Harry's got to hide under my cloak. We can't hide you.'

Nemesis hooted and flew away.

Draco wrapped his cloak around Harry and handed him Milady.

'There's a room in Slytherin where we can go. Only Slytherins know about it. Professor Snape will know I'm there, and no one will come to interrupt us,' Draco said softly.

The two young men walked to the dungeons.

'I wonder who summoned the Room of Requirement,' Harry murmured.

'Bloody Auror,' Draco complained.

Harry just chuckled.

They met no one on the way, and there was no one in the Slytherin common room either. Harry followed Draco into the heart of the Slytherin territory.

They reached the door of the room that Slytherin students used as a refuge.

'I'll be damned!' Draco exclaimed.

Nemesis was right in front of the door.

Draco said, 'How did you get here?'

At the same time, Harry got rid of Draco's cloak, gave it back to him and handed him the kitten as he said, 'There's something wrong.'

Draco opened the door and said, 'No, otherwise the door would be locked. Maybe he found a way to stay with us.'

Nemesis flew inside the room, and then both young men heard a frightened gasp.

'Stay behind me,' Harry ordered Draco as he took his wand and walked into the room.

A very cute brunette was sitting on the bed; she'd been crying the seven seas, and her uniform was torn.

'Hell! What happened to you, sweetie?' Harry asked the girl as he moved closer to her.

She looked at him with more tears in her eyes; she seemed very afraid.

'I'm very sorry, Auror Potter. I know that I'm not supposed to be here. I'll leave,' she said, shivering.

It looked as if the girl had got into a fight of some sort, and the state of her uniform was telling Harry that someone might have tried to rape her. Harry was trying to remember what he'd read on the topic in his manual, but his mind was a blank, and he felt too much empathy for the girl to remember anything.

Harry decided to trust his gut, and he put his wand away.

'You need my help. I'm here for _you_,' Harry said as he took a step towards the girl.

Nemesis, who'd landed on the bed, hopped to the girl, and she caressed him.

'Do you want me to call your sister?' Draco asked.

'No!' the girl shouted.

'Draco, go call Madam Pomfrey and then run to Severus,' Harry said.

'No! Oh, no, please! If people think I didn't fight them off… This can't go on my file. My family would disown me!' she said.

'Oh, sweetie... Just tell me what happened,' Harry said, as he signalled Draco to wait.

'You can trust him,' Draco added as he closed the door and locked it.

The young girl looked at them. She decided to trust them, because Draco was a Slytherin like her, and Harry's reputation was good.

'All right,' she said.

'Is it okay if I sit next to you?' Harry asked her softly.

She nodded. 'They beat and hexed me, but that's all they did,' she explained.

'You were attacked, sweetie! You're innocent. _They_ were wrong,' Harry said.

She shrugged and said, 'Most people wouldn't see things like you.'

'You know, I'm just in training, and right now, I want to do my best to help you,' Harry told her honestly.

Milady meowed, and the girl smiled at the kitten.

'Lend her Milady, will you, Draco?' Harry said.

Draco moved close enough to hand the girl the kitten, who started to purr and rub herself against the witch.

'I may still be in training, but I know that the advantage we have over the Muggle police is that our spells can get rid of my kitten's hair on your robes,' Harry said.

'I don't want my robes to become evidence!' she protested.

'Greengrass! You were attacked, for Salazar's sake!' Draco said as gently as he could.

Harry could have kissed Draco because he'd just provided him with the name of his little victim. Daphne, the older sister, was in their year (if Harry had stayed in Hogwarts for his last school year), a Pureblood whose family had discreetly been neutral during the war; the little sister, Astoria, was a fifth year.

'Who attacked you, Astoria?' Harry asked gently.

'Two Muggle-born wizards. Seventh years,' she mumbled.

'Gryffindors?' Harry inquired.

She shook her head.

'Slytherins?' Draco asked, paling with anger.

It took Harry a couple of seconds to remember which Slytherins were Muggle-born, and he flinched because the ones sorted into Slytherin had to be extra cunning and more ambitious than Riddle himself.

Astoria shook her head.

Draco and Harry traded looks. The Hufflepuffs were all too squeaky clean, which left the Ravenclaws.

'Which Ravenclaws, sweetie?' Harry asked.

She refused to answer.

'All right. You don't have to tell me anything, but I'd like to make sure that you're all right. You've got a black eye, and there might be more serious things. I know Emergency Medical spells, but I'm not Pomfrey; let us call her,' Harry said.

She shook her head again.

'Greengrass!' Draco protested.

She looked at him and said, 'You know what my father would do if he thinks that they… that they…'

She began crying again.

Draco was about to suggest letting Severus handle Mr Greengrass, but Harry remembered something from his manual… and yet, it was in a blur in his head.

'I've got an idea,' Harry said. He took his wand and said, 'I need my Auror manual. There's something in it that can help, but I need to check the procedure. Okay?'

Astoria nodded.

'_Accio_, manual,' Harry said.

With the power in his double wand, Harry summoned the book so fast that it seemed to Apparate into the room.

'Whoa!' Astoria exclaimed. 'You're good."

Harry winked at her and looked for the page that he needed to read again.

'Yes!' Harry exclaimed proudly.

'Harry?' Draco asked.

Harry turned to Astoria and asked, 'How old are you?'

'Almost sixteen,' she answered.

'But not sixteen yet,' Harry said.

She shook her head and said, 'In three days.'

Harry chuckled and beamed.

'Is that important?' Draco inquired.

Harry smiled at his friend and looked at Astoria as he said, 'I can help you and keep your file secret. My Healer would know, as would the Headmistress and your head of house, but no one else would have to know. I'm bound to secrecy, and I can threaten to hex Draco if he were to betray you.'

'Really?' she asked.

Harry grinned and winked.

'How is that possible?' she asked.

Harry handed her his manual to show her that he wasn't inventing laws and said, 'You're a minor according to Muggle laws, and you're not of witching age. I'm just a trainee, but if I archive your file inside a Secrecy folder, then the Minister for Magic and I will be the only ones able to open it. Whoever hurt you must pay, sweetie, and without having you facing your father's misplaced wrath.'

Astoria nodded.

'Will you help me, Draco?' Harry asked.

Draco only glared.

'All right. Go write a note for Healer Fille, asking her to Floo to your common room for an emergency. Then give the note to Nemesis and open the Floo Network,' Harry said.

'He can't Floo alone!' Draco protested.

Harry laughed softly when Nemesis growled.

'All right,' Draco conceded.

Nemesis was definitely no ordinary owl.

'Dyann will answer quickly, and you can guide her here then,' Harry said.

Draco nodded and moved to the door.

'What do you prefer, Miss Greengrass? We can hide here, or follow Draco to the Common room,' Harry said, giving her a way out to not stay alone with a man after being assaulted.

'I prefer you to call me Astoria, and I trust you, Auror Potter,' she said.

Draco nodded and left with Nemesis on his shoulder.

'You can call me Harry, you know,' Harry said.

She gave him a small smile.

'Astoria… Just between us, how do you know so much about evidence?' he asked.

'You won't tell?' she murmured.

'I promise.'

'We're quite free when we go home, and I've got a Muggle friend. He doesn't care that I'm a witch, and he's not afraid. He's got cable, and we watch telly together,' she explained.

'Sweetie, we'll have to talk about series someday,' Harry said.

She nodded, smiling. She flinched.

'It must hurt. I hope you kicked them properly,' Harry said.

'I did my best,' she told him.

'Why did they target you?' he asked.

'Because I'm a Pureblood and a Slytherin. They thought my family was on the Dark Lord's side,' she explained.

'Did they tell you what they wanted to do to you?' he inquired.

She took a deep breath and said, 'Not what you think… They wanted to humiliate a Pureblood _snake_. They wanted to beat me to a pulp and leave me somewhere I'd be found by a patrolling teacher; they know the lore well, and my family's reputation. I'd have been tossed out on the street.'

'Astoria… Sweetie… Even if it had come to them succeeding in their petty plan, none of us, not Minerva, or Severus, or me, would have allowed such a thing to happen to you. Ever. I know that nothing's perfect, but I'll hex myself if I let victims be bashed on my watch,' Harry said.

Astoria shook her head.

'Sweetie, you're a _minor_. I'd send your dad to Azkaban myself if he disowned you for being a victim,' he declared.

She blinked and said, 'You're good!'

Harry grinned and said, 'I'm just trying to do what's fair.'

Astoria put her head on Harry's shoulder, and he hugged her.

'Auror Potter?'

'Miss Greengrass?' he teased her.

She chuckled and said, 'Say, Harry, is Malfoy in trouble that you were with him?'

'Are you a good Slytherin who can keep a secret?' he asked.

She nodded against his shoulder.

Harry sighed and said, 'We just wanted to chat. We've made several mistakes in the past, but we want to forget the war.'

'You're lonely,' she said softly.

The little witch's words broke his heart, but she was right. He nodded and hugged her tighter.

There was a knock on the door, and Dyann walked in with Draco.

'I think Nemesis went to see Professor Snape,' Draco said.

'That owl is astounding,' Dyann declared as she walked towards the bed.

'Hi, Dyann!' Harry said.

'Good evening, Harry. I'd like a moment with Miss Greengrass,' Dyann said.

Astoria shuddered, and Harry said, 'Perhaps I could stay… I'm her Auror.'

'If it's all right with her,' Dyann stated.

Astoria nodded fervently.

'I'll go outside, and I'll wait for our head,' Draco said.

'She's got a fluffy Gryffindor to hold her; would you take the kitten with you, please?' Dyann asked Draco.

When Draco nodded, Dyann handed him Milady, and Draco left.

'I'm not fluffy!' Harry protested.

Astoria chuckled.

'Secrecy folder?' Dyann asked Harry, who nodded.

Dyann healed Astoria, and she cast a spell that generated a parchment that indicated everything that had been done to Astoria and everything she'd had to do on the student. Dyann gave it to Harry.

Dyann put one hand on Astoria's shoulder and said, 'We have old customs that must be forgotten. When you are attacked, _only_ your attacker must be blamed.'

'Yes, Ma'am,' Astoria said.

Dyann smiled and went to open the door. Severus was there with Draco… and Minerva.

The Healer left them to head back to her home.

Minerva and Severus were informed of Astoria's unfortunate encounter.

'What do you want to do, Headmistress?' Harry asked very seriously.

'The culprits will be expelled, but they could hurt Miss Greengrass's reputation. I have no power over that,' Minerva said.

'They'll do no such thing after a chat with me,' Severus said.

'And with me,' Harry said.

'I don't want you to get in trouble because of me,' Astoria protested.

'They had no right to attack you,' Draco reminded her.

'Draco, will you stay with her?' Harry asked.

Draco nodded and said, 'Of course.'

Harry took his wand and said, '_Accio_, Auror badge!'

Minerva thought that his spell worked quickly because he was really angry; she never suspected the secret about his wand. Severus looked at Harry, and both knew that he'd had to try to modulate his spells in order to avoid arousing suspicion.

'I didn't say who it was!' Astoria exclaimed.

'I can identify them,' Harry told her, showing her Dyann's parchment. He didn't mention the fact that he'd got the names of her attackers through Legilimency.

Draco went to sit next to Astoria, and he handed her Milady again.

'Entertain my cat, you two,' Harry said as he closed the door.

Minerva and Severus looked murderous.

'All right, let's go!' Harry said, as he spelled his badge onto his robes.

'Minerva, I'd like you to be the one dealing with Flitwick,' Severus said en route to the Ravenclaw house.

'Severus?' she said.

'Harry doesn't know how to modulate a Memory-charm,' Severus stated. 'And I'm your Deputy Headmaster,' he added.

'Her father is a twat. Do whatever needs to be done to protect her,' Minerva said, as she sent a signal that alerted Filius that there was a problem with his house.

The head of Ravenclaw was waiting for them outside the Common room door. While Minerva informed him that two of his students had committed a crime and were about to be expelled, Severus answered the riddle that opened the door.

All the Ravenclaws were already in bed, except the two culprits, who were chatting over a cup of tea.

Minerva told them that they were expelled.

'You can't do that,' one student stated quietly.

'We know that you attacked a Slytherin witch,' Minerva said.

'You can't prove anything,' the other student declared smugly.

'Give me your wands,' Harry said.

The two students looked at Harry and snorted as they obeyed.

'It's not as if you could rewind magic,' one of them gloated.

Severus saw Harry connect some dots in his head. The Auror looked at Filius, who'd told him to trust his instinct, and Harry combined the spell that allowed one to check the last spell that had been cast by a wand with a short Time-reversing spell aimed at the core of the wands. The combination was potentially explosive, but Harry was determined to succeed, and his spell produced a list for each of the checked wands. The last five spells cast were written down.

Harry read the two lists and barked, 'You tried to cast the Cruciatus on her when she resisted!'

'What?' Filius shouted.

'She was able to avoid it,' Harry said.

'Thank Merlin! Otherwise, I'd be heading to the Ministry to press charges!' Filius declared.

'Filius, would you please go supervise the packing of their trunks?' Severus asked.

Filius heard his colleague loud and clear and nodded.

'I'll help,' Minerva said.

Severus took his wand and was about to cast a tailored Memory-charm.

'Sev!' Harry interrupted him.

Severus stopped glaring at Harry when he saw the young man handing him his own wand.

'It's unlikely that anyone will check your wand, but I'm the only one allowed to cast the spell here, in theory,' Harry said.

Severus made the two students forget who they had attacked in order to protect Astoria. It was such a potent spell that the students felt extremely dizzy.

Severus gave Harry his wand back, and he said, 'Thank you, Auror Potter.'

'You're welcome, Deputy Headmaster. Will you teach me that one?' Harry asked.

Severus nodded.

Filius and Minerva came back with two trunks floating behind them.

Minerva officially expelled the two students.

'The Ministry might decide to give you your NEWTs, but I can assure you that I'll make sure that all my former students know you have a criminal record,' Filius declared coldly.

'We're just expelled, we don't have a record,' one student protested lamely.

'You wish! I'm going to escort you to your parents', and I'll head to the Ministry to write a report on you. And for ruining my first weekend off duty, I can tell you that it's going to be quite a report,' Harry growled.

Now that Harry no longer wore glasses, his green eyes looked quite impressive when he was angry, and the two culprits decided that it'd be safer to keep their mouths shut now.

Harry turned to Minerva and whispered, 'That really wasn't the plan for tonight.'

She gave him a sad smile.

'I'll need their addresses,' Harry said.

Minerva snapped her fingers, and Kreacher appeared with a parchment with the addresses. Both students lived in London, which was easier for Harry.

'We'll Floo to the Ministry, and I'll Apparate them from there,' Harry said. 'Don't wait for me,' he added, as he walked to the fireplace with the students.

'Harry!' Filius said.

Harry looked at Filius. 'Yes?' he said.

'Don't forget to hop by the Emergency department to patent your spell,' he told him.

Harry nodded. A moment later, he was on his way to the Ministry with the two expelled students.

.

[End of Part 41]


	42. Chapter 42

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

What Harry hadn't expected was that Umbridge would be in his office when they Floo'ed in.

'I'm pretty sure I locked my door,' Harry declared.

'_Your_ door? You're a civil servant, Potter… and not even one with full status. You work for the public… You work for _me_,' Umbridge declared.

Harry's blood froze in his veins, but he caught the shimmer near the door, and he hoped that the Unspeakable tagging dear old Dolores would lend him a hand if need be.

'So… what do you need so late on a Friday night?' Harry inquired, as he gestured the two former students to sit down at an empty desk.

'I was informed that two Hogwarts students were accused of committing a crime, and I came to see what you'd done this time,' Umbridge declared.

Harry just knew that he had to put Astoria's file into a Secrecy folder as fast as possible. If Umbridge got to read her name, he was convinced that he'd have to fight against the apparently idiotic father of the poor girl sooner or later.

Harry turned on the puppy act to blinding height, and he moved to his desk, saying, 'Well, you know, first of all, I don't know who told you that, but everything's much more complicated than you think, in fact.'

He opened the door of the side cabinet where he'd stored all sorts of files as indicated in his manual. He was keeping an eye on the students and another on Umbridge, and suddenly, one folder, the kind he needed, was pulled from under a pile of parchments.

'Then, what is it?' Umbridge spat.

The annoying witch took a step towards Harry, but he was faster than her, and he placed Astoria's files into the magical folder that guaranteed that she'd be safe. When Umbridge touched it, she was hexed; the force of the spell that hit her was proportionate to her wish to harm the victim of the crime committed at Hogwarts, and she landed against a wall, knocking herself out.

The Unspeakable cast a Sleeping charm on the two young men, and she revealed herself.

'Whoa! Thanks for trusting me!' Harry said.

She beamed and said, 'You're welcome, Auror Potter. I just helped a bit. I couldn't spy on Umbridge when she was contacted through the Floo, but someone at Hogwarts informed her that some crime had been committed.'

'I hope it's not my ex,' Harry sighed.

'Not impossible, but unlikely,' she said.

'Which leaves me with a spy that the house-elves haven't spotted,' he concluded.

'You'll find that spy,' the Unspeakable declared with confidence.

'Thanks, Ma'am! And thanks for helping me find the right folder… I was, well, a bit overwhelmed,' he admitted.

'You got the job… what? A fortnight ago? Give yourself some time, Auror Potter. Follow your instinct,' she said, adding a wink.

Harry heard footsteps in the corridor, and the Unspeakable became invisible again.

'Bloody bollocking hell! What do you think you're doing, Potter?' a male Auror growled as he barged in and made assumptions.

Harry heard the rustle of the Unspeakable's robes, and he decided to follow his guts. He turned the ring with the Resurrection stone in the hope that one of his late friends would be able to help him.

"_Lyssandra was right to tell you to follow your instinct, Harry. Now if you'd turned that bloody ring earlier, I could have started your training_," Moody growled. "_Well, first, let's get rid of that twat, Jentord. Repeat after me_," he said.

Harry nodded at the apparition only he could see, and he said after Mad-Eye, 'Look here, Jentord, stop believing what they print in the rag you read while you should be working on your reports, and don't interfere!'

Jentord was doing a good impersonation of a goldfish when a duo of female Aurors arrived.

They'd heard what Harry had said, and they approved.

'Good for you, Potter!' the first said.

The other looked at Umbridge and cast a spell on the passed-out witch.

"_The first is Leona Sparr, the other is Donna Carver. You can trust them_," Moody said.

'We can take care of Umbitch for you if you want, Potter,' Carver said.

'I don't want to have you forced to write my reports, Auror Carver,' Harry protested.

'What?' Jentord spat.

'She touched a Secrecy folder, you twat! Go sleep at your desk!' Sparr hissed at her older colleague.

Jentord glared, but left.

'I take it the two kids committed some crime,' Carver said, pointing at the sleeping students.

'They attacked a younger student. I was the one who found the student, and here I am now,' Harry said.

'Look, it's a quiet night for us. We can keep an eye on them while you do what you've got to do,' Sparr said.

"_Accept their offer. You need back-up; I don't know why Shacklebolt didn't give you a real instructor_!" Moody growled.

'All right. Thank you,' Harry said.

"_Umbridge has to spend the night in jail for what she did. You'll have to go down to the Ministry cells and have a guard come here and book her. Your report must be written before her trial tomorrow morning_," Moody said.

Harry glared at Umbridge and thought that he really hated her.

'We're on duty, we could take care of her,' Carver said.

'Thanks, but it's my folder she targeted,' Harry said.

'He's got a point,' Sparr told her colleague.

'I need to go fetch a guard, but I also need to patent a spell that's related to this case. Do you mind if I make a quick stop at the Emergency department, too?' he asked his colleagues.

'We don't mind. Your whole case needs to be in order before tomorrow morning, and the Court will open before the Patent Registration department,' Carver said.

'Go, we'll keep them for you,' Sparr added.

Harry smiled and used the Floo network to go to the Ministry jail. Once there, Harry told one of the guards on duty that he needed him to go get the passed-out Umbridge from his office; the guard was delighted with the mission.

'We can go to your office right now,' the guard said after getting a pair of special handcuffs.

'She's my third task of the evening. Do you mind if I let you go get her alone? Auror Sparr and Auror Carver are there already,' Harry said.

'You were off duty, weren't you?' the guard asked.

Harry sighed and nodded.

'And I'll need a quick report on what she did before dawn,' the guard pointed out. 'Something simple. Who you arrested, and the reference number of the Secrecy folder Umbridge touched.'

'Just that?' Harry asked.

The guard nodded.

Harry reflected that he could type that rather fast, and if he got rid of the two former Ravenclaws, he might get some time off before Saturday morning. 'I'll be back as fast as possible,' he told the guard.

Harry took his map of the Ministry and went to the Emergency department while the guard Floo'ed to Harry's office.

Since Fate had decided to have fun with Harry that day, it was Oof who was on duty when Harry arrived. However, the wizard was civil this time.

'What can I do for you, Auror Potter?' he asked neutrally.

'I need to patent a spell that I invented. It was Professor Flitwick who did it for the first spell I came up with while I was still looking for the Snapes, and I don't know what to do,' Harry said.

'It's rather easy,' Oof said as he got a patent parchment that he handed to Harry. 'First, you write your name on this parchment, and you cast the spell that you invented on it,' he explained.

Harry borrowed a quill and did what Oof had told him. Then he gave Oof the parchment back.

'Now, do you want the spell to be used only here or internationally?' Oof asked, taking a special quill.

'The use of that spell could be limited to our country?' Harry asked, flabbergasted.

'Oh, yes!' Oof said.

Harry shook his head and said, 'I want officers of the law to be free to use it.'

'You're going to lose a lot of money,' Oof pointed out.

'A lot of criminals are going to be arrested,' Harry countered Oof.

'What do you want for the use of it by non-officers of the law?' Oof asked, still filling out the patent.

Harry tried to imagine what ordinary people might do with his spell, and he pictured parents like Mr Greengrass monitoring their children's activities, thanks to his spell. Harry didn't like that one bit.

'What's the maximum price for a spell?' Harry inquired.

'The most expensive ones are at five thousand Galleons,' Oof said.

'Can I raise that?' Harry asked.

'You can make it a million if you want. You can do whatever you want; it's your spell and your patent,' Oof joked.

Harry grinned evilly. 'All right. Make it available for free to all officers of the law in all the countries if they use it for work; otherwise, the price is fifty thousand Galleons for civilians and officers of the law using it outside of work,' he declared.

Oof noted everything down on the patent and sealed it.

'The guys at the Patent Registration department are going to be disappointed that they weren't the ones to list that one,' Oof said as he gave Harry a copy of the patent.

'Perhaps I'll come up with another spell during office hours,' Harry joked.

'If you want, I can make copies of the spell and have it distributed to our law enforcement departments,' Oof said.

"_Accept and ask him to make you two copies for your colleagues upstairs_," Moody told Harry.

Harry did just that, and he left Oof to go back to his office. Once in the elevator, he glared at Moody and said, 'I hadn't forgotten my colleagues! I could have made copies myself.'

Moody growled.

Harry sighed. His soul summoned his mother, but Harry was busy glaring at his shoes, and he didn't see her arrive.

He heard her give an earful at her colleague, "_You've got a nerve, Moody! My son has done an astounding job! Even _you_ weren't that good in the beginning of your Auror days_!"

'Mum!' Harry protested, blushing madly.

"_It's true, Harry. When you met Alastor for the first time, he'd been an Auror for decades, and now he expects you to know everything in less than a month! Sheesh! I'll teach you myself if you keep that ring on your finger this time_," Lily said.

'You… You would?' Harry asked, on the verge of tears.

"_Yes, Harry_," she told him softly.

'But I don't want to bother you,' Harry protested.

"_We're dead, Potter! We've got nothing better to do_!" Moody barked.

"_Be nice, or I'll hex_!" Lily barked in her turn.

Moody flinched.

Lily turned to her son and said, "_I can help you get trained or help you when you're not sure of the procedure. Harry, you can call us, all of us, to help you. We'd be so happy to help you, even just a bit_."

"_He must be properly trained_!" Moody growled.

"_He'll do _exactly_ what _he_ wants_!" Lily shouted.

'_All_ of you?' Harry asked.

"_Yes, if you want, Harry_," James's spirit said.

Now, Remus, Nymphadora and Sirius were in the elevator, too. Harry was truly overwhelmed this time, and he pushed the button that stopped the car.

Harry leant against the back wall and exhaled, 'I miss you all so, so much.'

"_We'll help you get your Auror badge, and then we'll go_," James told his son.

Harry was about to protest, but Remus said softly, "_You'll have to go on with your life, once you've mourned us_…"

"_You know it'd keep you stuck in the past if we stayed_," Nymphadora added.

'I miss you all so much,' Harry repeated. 'But I don't want to trap you here with me,' he added.

"_Your love for us is making the summoning nice, and it allows us to say goodbye, too_," Lily declared.

"_With the way you learn things, we'll need just three months to get you on the right track_," Moody said, kindly this time.

"_You did a great job finding the Snapes_," Sirius chimed in.

Harry looked at his godfather strangely.

"_Look! I still don't like the bloke, but they both died at one point, and we all felt their love, and Hermione saved me. I won't say a thing against the man she was ready to die for_," Sirius said.

'Thanks!' Harry said.

"_What do you suggest you do now_?" Remus asked Harry to test him.

'I need to start the elevator again, and I should probably turn you _off_, otherwise I'm going to start crying, and my colleagues are going to ship me to St Mungo's,' Harry said.

"_Excellent_!" James praised his son.

Harry looked at his mentors and added, 'I'll call you if I'm stuck, otherwise, I'll summon you when I'm sure I'm alone.'

The six spirits said in unison, "_Perfect_!"

Harry pushed the elevator button again, and he slowly put an end to the magic that allowed him to speak with the dead.

Now Harry was happy to have summoned the ring. He knew that he'd have to let his parents and his mentors go, but he'd say goodbye the day he'd get his Auror badge; he made that promise to himself, and he was sure that his parents would approve.

Harry went to his office, which was now Umbridge-free, and he gave his colleagues the parchments with his new spell.

'Whoa! You're very good, Potter,' Carver praised him.

'I was quite motivated, and… will you call me Harry, please?' he said.

'I'm Donna,' Carver said.

'Leona,' Sparr added. 'I bet your intricate spell will give a few lazy Aurors a headache when they use it!'

Harry grinned. 'Now, I'll have to go with them to their parents',' he said, pointing at the two former Ravenclaws.

'You're complicating things, Harry,' Carver said.

'You give us the addresses, then we go fetch the poor parents, and we Apparate them back here,' Sparr said.

'Always better to impress the parents of young criminals, and you have a harder time doing that if they're on their own territory,' Carver explained.

'You guard these two, and you start your report for the morning Court,' Sparr said.

Harry nodded and gave his colleagues the addresses. The two Aurors Disapparated, leaving Harry with the two young men.

Harry stored the Secrecy folder with Astoria's file in his desk drawer, and he turned his laptop on.

'How is that possible?' one of the culprits asked, clearly in awe.

'My Muggle laptop, you mean?' Harry asked as the programmes loaded.

Both young men nodded; their Ravenclaw side was curious.

Harry was too angry and frustrated to be civil; if it were not for those two idiots, he'd be relaxing with Draco right now.

'Well, this former Gryffindor is good,' Harry growled at them.

The young men reflected that silence was a very good thing, and they let Harry work on his report.

In fact, it was rather easy… until Harry took a look at the reference on the Secrecy folder; it contained runes, and he couldn't find anything to type that in any of the programmes that were on his computer.

By the time he'd checked all the character-tables, Sparr Apparated back with the first set of frightened parents.

Harry got up, introduced himself and told the Muggle couple what their son had done.

'How could you?' the mother exclaimed, tears on her cheeks.

'They targeted a younger student. They thought the student would be disowned; the family is very old and _very_ conservative,' Harry explained.

The father looked at Sparr and asked, 'Can you take us home, Ma'am?'

Sparr was about to signal the son to join them, but the father said, choking on his words, 'I don't have a son who attacks people.' He turned towards Harry and asked, 'A girl?'

Harry nodded.

'Dad!' protested the young man.

'An eye for an eye, boy. You're eighteen; you're on your own now,' the father said.

Sparr Disapparated with the distraught parents and was back almost immediately to escort the young man outside the Ministry.

The second culprit was shivering with fear when his mother arrived with Carver.

Harry explained what happened, and the mother slapped her son.

'Arrogant idiot!' the mother spat.

'You shouldn't hit him,' Carver said.

'Wouldn't you smack him if he were your flesh and blood?' the mother asked.

'I'd probably hex him to the next millennium,' Carver admitted.

'What's going to happen to him now?' the mother asked Harry.

'He tried to cast an illegal spell, so he'll be judged for that,' Harry said.

'You'll get an owl to inform you of the day of the trial,' Carver added.

Glaring at her son, the mother said, 'Wait until your grandparents hear about this!'

The young man flinched.

'I can take you both home,' Carver offered.

'Thank you, Auror, but I'll have him drag his trunk without magic in the tube. That'll help him think about his stupidity, and that'll give me time to lecture him,' the mother said.

The mother thanked Harry and followed Carver outside with her son in tow. He looked pale, but _he_ still had a home and a family.

Harry was alone, at last, and he summoned his mentors.

'I wanted to print my report against Umbridge, but I don't have the characters on my laptop. Is it okay if I write them down after printing the rest?' he asked them.

"_It'd be as fast to write the whole thing_," Moody said.

"_Don't be daft! It's going to be Harry's trademark: printed reports. Very nice_," Nymphadora declared.

"_Get online and download runes_," Remus said, while Moody was busy glaring at the late Mrs Lupin.

Harry followed Remus's lead.

"_How do you know so much about that_?" Sirius inquired, pointing at the equipment on Harry's desk.

"_Muggles thought I was a junkie, but some of them gave me some work. They never imagined that I looked like hell because I was a werewolf_," Remus explained.

Sirius mumbled, "_Sorry_."

"_You're lucky that I can't punch you_!" Lily hissed.

Harry got what he needed, and he delivered his printed report to the guard, who was quite impressed.

'Now, go save what you can of your night!' the guard said.

'Thanks!' Harry said, as he turned the ring on his finger to stop seeing his mentors.

Harry Floo'ed back to his office, where he found Draco and Nemesis.

'Deputy Headmaster Snape sent me, Auror Potter,' Draco said very formally.

'And my owl came for the ride?' Harry asked as he turned his computer off.

'He did!' Draco said.

Harry smiled and asked, 'Why did Sev send you?'

'To tell you that the attacked student will spend the night in a temporary room in the Snapes' quarters, to tell you that Milady is with Headmistress McGonagall, and to add that I can stay with you for as long as we want,' Draco said, adding a wink for good measure.

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but his two colleagues came back.

'Problem with the victim?' Sparr asked Draco.

'No, Ma'am, the Deputy Headmaster had several messages for Auror Potter,' Draco answered.

'We agreed to come back to see you now, Harry. You should start your report immediately,' Carver said.

'It's a big case, and people are going to dissect your every move. Better write everything down while it's fresh,' Sparr added.

Harry sighed, but said, 'Thanks!'

Sparr and Carver looked at Draco strangely. Unfazed, he declared, 'I'll help Auror Potter. I'm a witness.'

The ladies nodded and left.

Harry groaned and started his computer again. 'I'm sorry, but they're right, and since Dolores was interested in the case, everybody will question my work,' he explained.

'It's all right. I'll wait for you,' Draco said, as he sat down.

Harry smiled.

'You know, this is not what I had in mind when I said I wanted to spend the night with you,' Draco mock-complained. 'But I'm proud we helped her. She's nice.'

'What would her dad have done?' Harry asked.

Draco paled.

.

[End of Part 42]


	43. Chapter 43

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'That bad?' Harry asked.

Draco nodded and said, 'The man isn't old-fashioned, he's mediaeval.'

'In view of your own family, that says a lot,' Harry said as he started typing.

Draco chuckled sadly at that and went on, 'He'd probably have tossed her out without a penny. It's still legal, you know, if the head of the family considers that the honour of their name has been ruined.'

'Since I'm lucky enough to have the ear of our Minister, I'll have to suggest to him to have a team of attorneys work on dusting off the Law corpus,' Harry said.

'Good idea! There are a few antiquities in our laws,' Draco said.

Harry nodded and said, 'Say, do you mind checking on screen what I type? I'm no secretary, and it'd help me.'

Draco moved closer and very seriously helped Harry with his report. He even suggested a few changes to make things clearer. Harry made a final save of his file and turned the computer off again.

'We should go outside to talk,' Harry told Draco.

'Yes, Auror Potter,' Draco answered suavely.

Harry glared at his boyfriend for teasing him.

They walked together, Nemesis perched on Harry's shoulder. This time, they met no one.

Once outside, far from curious ears and eyes, Harry said, 'We could go to the Leaky Cauldron, but that's gossip central. In the mood to venture into Muggle London?'

'In our uniforms, Auror Potter?' Draco said, teasing his friend.

'Take off your robes, I'll keep them in my pocket with a spell,' Harry said.

'Yes, Auror Potter,' Draco said as he obeyed.

Harry chuckled and whispered, 'Stop that, will you?'

Draco gave him such a sweet smile that Harry almost kissed him right there.

Once their robes were hidden in Harry's back-pocket, Draco said, 'I don't have any Muggle money.'

'I do. Don't worry… besides, we just need to go somewhere quiet to decide what we'll do next,' Harry said.

Draco nodded.

Harry looked at his owl to tell him that he couldn't stay with them in Muggle London, but before harry said a single word, Nemesis hooted softly and flew off.

'He's good,' Draco said.

'I'm glad he adopted me,' Harry said.

They walked away from the Ministry as quickly as possible.

'Do you know the area?' Draco asked.

'Absolutely not,' Harry answered.

They were reaching a crossing, and they spotted a couple of young men who were _obviously_ dating each other.

'Let's follow them!' Harry said.

Draco agreed, and they soon found themselves at the door of a pub with rainbow decorations.

'Do you mind being seen in a gay place?' Harry asked his boyfriend.

'With my father, the Muggle part would be the problem,' Draco pointed out.

They walked in, and Harry instinctively took Draco's hand.

'Do you want something to drink?' Harry asked.

'Why not?' Draco said. He moved closer to Harry and whispered in his ear, 'I don't think they've got butterbeer.'

'No, but I'll find us something. This is just a stop until we decide where to go,' Harry said.

Draco went to sit on a small sofa in a dark corner, while Harry went to the bar.

'Show me some ID if you want a cocktail,' the bartender declared.

'We don't want cocktails, but something fun would be nice,' Harry answered honestly.

The bartender looked towards Draco and said, 'Blue energy drinks are okay?'

'Blue?' Harry repeated.

'Blue,' the bartender confirmed.

'That's _fun_!' Harry said merrily.

A moment later, he walked to Draco's side with two glasses filled with some sky blue liquid that was bubbling, and a saucer with olives.

'What's that?' Draco asked warily.

'Not sure. Blue energy drinks he said,' Harry answered.

'Energy drinks? Could be interesting,' Draco pointed out, waggling his eyebrows.

'You're impossible,' Harry said with a chuckle.

They started drinking their odd drinks.

'This is good!' Draco exclaimed with surprise.

Harry nodded and said, 'Indeed!'

They drank, ate the olives and looked around. There were groups of friends and couples; neither young man felt comfortable enough to be too openly demonstrative.

'We could head back to the Slytherin room,' Draco whispered.

'Do you really think we wouldn't be interrupted?' Harry said.

Draco was silent for a few seconds. 'Well, if we take a room at the Leaky Cauldron, we'll never hear the end of it,' he said.

'You've got a point,' Harry agreed.

'If you take me there, there's my room home. I can ward it,' Draco declared.

'And you could make sure that your cats are okay,' Harry deadpanned.

Draco groaned.

'If you think it'd be okay with your parents,' Harry said.

'They're still in Hogwarts,' Draco pointed out.

'Are you, my dear Slytherin, suggesting that we borrow you parents' house while they're still in Scotland?' Harry asked rhetorically.

Draco grinned and nodded.

'I'll have to Apparate you,' Harry said.

'I trust you,' Draco said softly.

If Harry trusted him to cast the spell they were planning to use in bed, Draco trusted Harry to transport them to Malfoy Manor.

As they sipped their drinks and ate the olives, they moved closer on the sofa, and blushing, they ended up sharing a kiss.

'Okay… Where's your house?' Harry asked, a bit out of breath.

Draco explained to Harry how to reach the gates of Malfoy Manor.

'Ready to go?' Harry asked.

Draco smiled and nodded.

Holding hands, they stood up.

Harry noticed that the bartender was looking at them, and he smiled; the bartender winked and smiled.

'It's a nice Muggle place,' Draco said once they were outside.

'Quite,' Harry agreed.

They walked around the block into a deserted alley where Harry wrapped an arm around Draco's waist and Disapparated them to the gates of Draco's home.

Draco placed his hand on the iron gates, and the ward acknowledged his magical signature. The gates opened, and they entered the grounds. Draco locked the gates again.

A very old house-elf appeared and beamed at her young master. 'It's so good to see you back, Young Master Malfoy!' she said happily.

'Thank you, Eefys. I'll just spend the night here with my friend, but my parents will come home very soon,' Draco said.

'We know, Young Master Malfoy. You told us all that when you opened the gates,' Eefys said.

Draco turned to Harry and said, 'Mother placed the Protection ward.'

'She's good with protection, your mum,' Harry said softly.

'Is there a security issue, Auror Potter?' Eefys inquired worriedly.

'Harry's a friend now,' Draco explained.

'Excellent, Young Master Malfoy. Having Aurors in one's relations is a good thing,' Eefys declared.

'Is everything all right here for you… and the cats?' Harry asked Eefys.

Draco glared at Harry, but Eefys chuckled and said, 'Yes, Auror Potter.'

'Are you all all right?' Draco asked the elf.

Eefys nodded.

'Where are the cats?' Harry asked.

'Asleep in the kitchen, except Nora. She's in the library,' Eefys answered.

'She's still alive?' Draco exclaimed.

'She's sleeping a lot, but last week, she caught a snorgh,' Eefys said.

'She did?' Draco said happily. 'Oh! She's still the best!' he said merrily.

Eefys's ears flapped and she announced, 'Your room is ready, Young Master Malfoy.'

'Thank you!' Draco said warmly.

Eefys seemed surprised to see the heir of the family suddenly so nice, but she was quite pleased. 'We'll await your orders, Young Master Malfoy,' she said.

Draco nodded, and Eefys went back to the house.

'What's a snorgh?' Harry asked.

'It's a kind of super mouse that's attracted to Dark magic and is very fast,' Draco explained. He turned to look at Harry and said, 'Speaking of those…'

'What?' Harry wondered.

'Eefys!' Draco called.

The house-elf came back and said, 'What can I do for you, Young Master Malfoy?'

'Can you clean my room of _all_ Dark magic, please?' Draco asked her.

'Right away, Young Master Malfoy!' Eefys said joyfully before going back to the mansion to perform her new task.

Draco looked at Harry; he was obviously a bit embarrassed.

Harry put a hand on Draco's shoulder, squeezed and said, 'You're changing your life and making your own choices one step at a time.'

Draco nodded slowly, took Harry's hand in his and declared seriously, 'I have seen true Darkness in the Dark Lord, and I want to put that part of my life behind me.'

Harry smiled and said, 'Don't you have cats to go hug?'

Draco chuckled and he kept Harry's hand in his as they walked to the small castle. They walked around the back and into the kitchen where another house-elf informed Draco that his room was being magically cleaned. The poor elf almost sat on the floor when Draco thanked him warmly.

Draco went to scratch the ears of three cats, who stretched and licked his hand, but seemed rather unimpressed with the blond biped who had left them with the small _creatures_ in charge of the manor for the past months.

'Let's go see Nora!' Draco said excitedly.

Harry followed his boyfriend. If the kitchen was like any Wizarding kitchen, the rest of the mansion was rich and absolutely splendid.

'It's your mum who decorated,' Harry stated.

Draco chuckled and said, 'Of course.'

'It's very nice… I'll have to ask Min to help me check what I own exactly,' Harry said.

'It's good to know what's yours, where, and in what state,' Draco agreed.

'You're almost running, Draco. What's so special about Nora?' Harry inquired.

'She's a magical cat who chose us when I was just a baby. She's got to be over sixteen, I've always known her, and she's the only non-human that I've ever seen my father respect,' Draco explained.

'Whoa!' was all that Harry could say.

They'd reached the library, which was a medium-size room that was literally filled with volumes from floor to ceiling. Since Draco rushed inside, Harry reflected that there had to be a spell protecting the books' spines for those that were stored on the floor.

Draco located Nora on a chair that was next to the only window in the room. He knelt next to the chair and just looked at the cat.

'I don't think she'd growl at you if you caress her, you know,' Harry said softly.

Nora heard a voice she didn't know, and she instantly opened her eyes. She was ready to growl at the green-eyed stranger, but she saw her blond biped, and she proceeded shedding her grey hairs on his black jacket.

'Oh, my Nora,' Draco said happily.

If Harry wasn't absolutely sure that the young man with him was, indeed, Draco Malfoy, Harry might have believed for an instant that he was with someone who'd drunk some Polyjuice potion in order to look like Draco. Gone was the arrogant Malfoy; Draco was petting his favourite cat and looking… like a child on Christmas morning.

Nora pushed Draco so much that he ended up sitting on the floor, chuckling and still petting the cat.

'Now we know who's the boss,' Harry said with a chuckle.

Draco looked at Harry and smiled. Harry walked to him and the cat and crouched next to them; he extended his hand for Nora to smell and he pecked Draco's lips.

'We should go to my room,' Draco said.

'Take Nora with you,' Harry told him.

'Harry…'

'We can try the spell with her asleep in your room, or we can try it tomorrow morning,' Harry said.

'But…' Draco began to protest.

Harry gave Draco a tender kiss and said, 'I don't mind having your cat around.'

Draco chuckled sadly and said, 'Things would have been so much different between us, if I hadn't listened to my father.'

'Things can be different now,' Harry declared.

Draco beamed. With Nora still in his arms, he got up, and he and Harry went to Draco's room.

The bedroom was rather big, and the bed was huge.

Draco deposited Nora on a chair, but she jumped down and hopped onto the bed at the foot.

'Sleep it is, then,' Harry said philosophically.

'Not necessarily,' Draco declared saucily.

'Really?' Harry asked innocently.

'There's just one thing,' Draco said with colouring cheeks.

'What?' Harry wondered.

'I can't use the spell you want to learn the first time,' Draco said.

'Eh?'

'It would prevent you from enjoying sex without spells in the future, and… and I don't want to do that to you,' Draco explained.

When Harry understood what Draco was telling him, he kissed him hungrily, and from there, clothes flew off everywhere in the room.

'Can you lock the doors and cast a Shielding charm?' Draco asked.

'Shielding charm?' Harry repeated.

'I like you a lot, but I don't fancy being expelled for doing magic outside of school,' Draco explained.

Harry groaned and put his forehead on Draco's shoulder.

'Harry?'

'Only Dark magic would completely shield you. You can't use magic. There goes our plan; we'll have to find a quiet spot in Hogwarts,' Harry said.

'To try the spell, yes… but we don't have to use magic for some other fun,' Draco said. He looked at Harry, and blushing, he added, 'Though I must admit I'm not too sure I've got any stuff to make it smooth for us here.'

Harry blinked a few times, realization dawned and then he said, 'Oh… Erm… perhaps I could cast a spell on myself. Too bad you can't use my wand without risking being spotted by the Ministry; you can bet that your old mate Dolores is going to make sure she bugs us every chance she gets.'

'You… You'd lend me your wand?' Draco asked.

'Draco, I don't really need my wand now. I can cast spells without it, and I'm quicker than you now. If it wouldn't risk getting you expelled, I'd trust you to use my wand,' Harry said.

In a few quick moves, Harry found himself under Draco in the middle of the bed.

Draco started kissing Harry everywhere he could, which prompted Harry to do the same. The second Draco's tongue came into contact with Harry's arousal, Harry turned into a puddle of goo, and he let Draco lead the show (though it didn't take Harry long to come).

Harry mumbled something as Draco licked his lips.

'What did you say?' Draco asked, caressing Harry's belly.

'You stole my bones,' Harry repeated.

'Glad you liked it, Harry,' Draco said. He manoeuvred to position himself between Harry's legs and said softly, 'If you _really_ trust me, I can use a Slytherin spell, and if I hold your hand, the spell will be cast through you.'

Harry nodded and took his wand. Draco placed his own hand over Harry's and he cast a spell.

'Oh!' Harry said, blinking with surprise.

'I take it it worked,' Draco said.

Harry nodded fervently.

With the agility of Quidditch players, they moved together; Draco positioned himself and waited until Harry nodded to start entering his lover. The spell that Draco cast had prepared Harry to be taken, and it made everything rather smooth for him (and for Draco, as well).

Once Harry got over the awe of making love for the first time, he joined the fun in earnest, and soon it was Draco who was seeing stars and was collapsing on Harry.

'We could try the spell that brought us here, in bed,' Draco suggested.

Harry nodded.

'And what's good is that you can feel it and learn it as I cast it,' Draco added.

Harry got an interesting lesson in magical sex, and the two young men got to experience an orgasm that was way above anything on the Richter scale of orgasms.

Exhausted, they slithered under the bedcovers and fell asleep in each other's arms quite fast. Nora relocated in her blond biped's arms for the night.

In the morning, when the spell on Draco's door was undone from outside, Nora licked Draco's nose. In consequence, Draco moved and started waking up, which made Harry groan.

Both young men opened their eyes as, wands drawn, Lucius and Narcissa walked into the room.

'What are you doing here?' Lucius asked his son.

'Deputy Headmaster Snape knows that I'm with Auror Potter,' Draco said.

'I told you the house-elves were telling us the truth,' Narcissa growled at her husband.

'An intruder could have cast a spell on them,' Lucius explained.

Narcissa sighed.

'All right. Breakfast. In the parlour. Now,' Narcissa growled.

Lucius knew better than not obey his wife when she was growling at him that way. He walked out.

Narcissa looked at Draco and Harry, shook her head to hide her smile and cast a spell on them both. 'Get dressed and join us… both of you,' she said.

Draco and Harry nodded.

Narcissa picked Nora up and left.

'What was that spell?' Harry asked in a murmur when he was sure that Narcissa was really gone.

'Something Slytherin that makes sure that Father won't notice the kind of spell we used last night,' Draco explained as he got up.

Harry followed suit, and they both started getting dressed.

'So, she knows, she doesn't mind, and she's protecting us,' Harry said.

'Protecting?' Draco said.

'I know it's mad, but I can see your dad trying to convince us to get married,' Harry said.

'No.'

'No?'

Draco chuckled and said, 'Children would be an issue. He'd insist on at least one heir, and since you're an Auror, you couldn't be the one taking a Pregnancy potion, and it's so dangerous anyway that he wouldn't want that… not even for all your Galleons and your good looks.'

'Oh… okay,' Harry said.

Draco gave Harry a quick kiss, and they went downstairs for breakfast with Lucius and Narcissa.

Draco chuckled when they entered the room. Nora was on Lucius's lap, purring madly.

'I'm not the only Nora fan,' Draco whispered.

Harry smiled.

'I could go back to Hogwarts if you want to have a family breakfast,' Harry declared.

'Nonsense, Auror Potter. You're a friend of the family now,' Narcissa said.

Harry smiled widely.

'We left Hogwarts quite early. Why did you spend the night here?' Lucius inquired.

'Ah… Draco and I had to help a student who was attacked,' Harry said. 'We can't talk about the case,' he added.

Lucius nodded.

'You remind me of your mother,' Narcissa said.

Harry turned to Draco and said, 'Will you hug your mother for me, please?'

Draco dropped his toast on his plate and hugged Narcissa; she was quite surprised, but delighted.

'How was your week, Auror Potter? The parts that you can share, of course,' Lucius said.

That started a friendly chit-chat at the breakfast table.

.

[End of Part 43]


	44. Chapter 44

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Eefys was bringing more toast when Nora started growling.

'Someone's tampering with the wards,' Narcissa said.

'Draco, you Floo to Hogwarts and tell Sev what's going on; he and Min will call the Ministry. Now, go!' Harry told his boyfriend.

Draco opened his mouth, but his mother spoke first, 'Obey Auror Potter!'

Draco nodded and walked to the huge fireplace, where he disappeared in green flames.

'Stay inside. I'll go investigate,' Harry told Lucius and Narcissa.

'But…' Lucius began to protest.

'I felt that you've got a special Protection spell on the manor. Activate it and stay inside. Perhaps it's just a burglar or some other twat, but it could be an assassin,' Harry said.

'If so, you'll need help, Potter. The law says that I can kill trespassers, and everybody knows that you're a pacifist,' Lucius said.

'Yea, I don't kill, but I sure stop the bad guys. Now, the Auror in the room is telling you to not endanger yourselves,' Harry said.

Lucius had to chuckle, but he nodded.

Harry turned to Narcissa and began to say, 'Mrs…'

'_Narcissa_, Harry,' she said.

Harry nodded and said, 'Promise me you'll Floo to Hogwarts if things get nasty.'

'If you promise me to do everything you must to not get hurt,' she answered.

Harry smiled and said, 'Yes, Ma'am.' She glared at him and he added, 'Narcissa.'

Harry ran outside; Narcissa had to wait for him to leave the manor to activate the spell that should protect the building against most magical attacks, and that gave Lucius enough time to order half of the house-elves to go help Auror Potter.

Harry exited the manor through the kitchen and started looking for the person or persons who were trespassing.

The greenhouse that was behind the manor almost exploded, which helped Harry locate the attackers. He spotted two wizards, who seemed to be intent on casting spells to destroy things (probably to lure the Malfoys or their house-elves out).

'What are you doing here?' Harry said loudly, making both wizards stop and aim their wands at him.

'Sod off, boy,' one said.

'We don't need no Malfoy lil' helper,' the other added.

'I'm Auror Potter, and you're under arrest for trespassing and destruction of private property,' Harry declared calmly.

The second man who'd spoken aimed his wand at a big pot with a small orange tree in it, and he broke it with a spell; he was smirking.

Harry cast a Petrifying spell on that man, who fell on the ground. The other trespasser jumped behind an oak.

'Don't complicate things. You won't escape,' Harry shouted at the other man.

'You're just a kid!' the wizard shouted back.

'I'm the Auror who stopped Voldemort. Do you really think you stand a chance?' Harry asked, just before he started moving towards the tree.

Harry thought that he'd rendered the man speechless, but in fact, he was trying to flee.

A very young elf tackled the wizard, who punched her, knocking her out. When Harry had an angle to petrify the man, the trespasser was casting the Cruciatus, but not at Harry.

It was only once the wizard was bound that Harry saw where the wizard had cast the Cruciatus.

'Oh, God!' Harry gasped.

He ran to Nora, who was still convulsing.

'I need help!' Harry yelled as loudly as he could.

Eefys arrived instantly.

'The trespassers are bound, your friend needs help, and Nora's hurt,' Harry said.

Eefys snapped her fingers and other elves arrived. The young, knocked-out elf was carried inside.

The Malfoys arrived with Severus in tow.

Harry didn't know what to do because he was afraid he'd cause even more pain to the old cat if he held her.

'Which one hurt her?' Lucius shouted, wand in hand.

'Easy, Mr Malfoy. I arrested them, and they'll pay. Now, she needs a vet, so go get one,' Harry said.

Lucius fought to control his anger, and he Disapparated.

'Sev, can you help her?' Harry asked.

Severus shook his head and said, 'I don't know enough about cats.'

Harry knelt next to Nora and whispered, 'Hang in there, kitty. You'd break Draco's heart if you died.'

Trembling like a leaf, Nora keened.

'Minerva sent a call to the Ministry. Your colleagues should arrive soon,' Severus said.

'Thanks, Sev, you should head back to Hogwarts. You're spending the day with your in-laws,' Harry pointed out.

'I could stay and help you,' Severus said.

'I'm not helping you escape the Grangers,' Harry stated.

Severus smiled at that.

'Pathetic!' the wizard who hexed Nora spat.

'Coming from a bound wizard, that's comical,' Narcissa said coldly.

'Ask Min to keep Draco with her, will you?' Harry asked Severus.

Severus turned around and said, 'Too late.'

Draco was running towards them.

'Eefys, can you help Nora?' Harry asked.

She shook her head.

Narcissa tried to stop her son, but it was Severus who succeeded.

'Why?' Draco asked.

'That creature belonged to you. It deserved what it got,' the second wizard said.

Draco took his wand, ready to hex the wizard on the ground, but Severus stopped him and handed Draco's wand to Narcissa.

When he felt Draco surrender, Severus let him go, and Draco collapsed on the ground next to his favourite cat; he started sobbing, and Harry took him in his arms.

'Auror Potter, would you like me to transport your prisoners inside?' Severus inquired.

'Thank you, Deputy Headmaster Snape, but I'd rather wait for my colleagues,' Harry said loudly. In a whisper, he added, 'And they're perfectly fine where they are.'

'I'll tell Minerva to come. Perhaps she knows a few spells to help that poor cat,' Severus said.

Harry nodded, and Severus left.

'There should be a bloody antidote to that curse,' Harry hissed.

'Perhaps you'll find one,' Narcissa said.

Harry smiled at her, still comforting Draco.

'Despicable!' the second wizard spat.

Harry cast a spell to gag him, too.

'Good thing I could stop those trespassers alone. My colleagues seem to be a bit slow,' Harry said to no one in particular.

'They'd be faster if you'd sent a call to go help the Weasleys,' Draco pointed out.

Harry looked at Narcissa, and she nodded.

'If they're slow because it's your family who was attacked, I'm going to have a lil' chat with whoever's on duty this morning. I didn't sign up to work with idiots!' Harry growled.

Lucius came back right then, but alone.

'Couldn't you find a vet?' Harry asked.

'None who agreed to come for one of our cats,' Lucius said.

Harry stood up quite abruptly and growled, 'Oh, I'm fed up with idiots!'

He was about to Disapparate to the Vet-wizard he'd met when he saw the very man walk up from the now open gate; his right sleeve was in Nemesis's claws.

'I'll be damned!' Harry exclaimed. 'We need you, quick!' he shouted.

The vet ran to them and he started helping Nora.

'Is she going to…?' Draco said, unable to ask if she'd die.

'I don't think so, but she'll need several doses of potion,' the vet said.

'I can go buy it. Money's not an issue,' Lucius declared.

'It has to be brewed near the cat, and she can't be moved until she's taken at least one dose,' the vet explained.

'I'll have to go ask Snape to help us. If vets refused to come, Potions masters will refuse to help, as well,' Lucius said.

'No need for that, Mr Malfoy. I can brew it myself,' the vet said. 'My main concern right now is that it looks as if it's going to rain, and that poor cat's too old to be soaked and not catch something.'

'What if we cut the patch of grass on which she is and we make it float inside?' Harry asked.

'Brilliant!' the vet said.

Lucius massacred the lawn, but didn't hurt a hair of Nora.

'I'll run inside and start a cauldron for you, Doctor,' Draco said.

'Perfect,' the vet said, as he wrote a list of ingredient that he gave to Narcissa. 'I'll need all that.'

'I'll Apparate to town, and I'll send an elf back here while I go see the Minister,' Narcissa said before Disapparating.

'The Minister?' the vet asked.

'Yes, Doctor, I'm afraid that my colleagues decided that anyone attacking the Malfoys didn't deserve to be arrested… and that I didn't need help,' Harry said. He turned to Lucius, who was making Nora float very carefully, and he added, 'I'll borrow your connection to the Floo Network.'

'Be my guest, Auror Potter, and feel free to visit us anytime you want,' Lucius said.

'If Draco isn't at Hogwarts later, I'll come back,' Harry declared.

Lucius hummed, completely focussed on Nora.

Harry made his two prisoners float and moved towards the manor.

'Don't be so tense, Mr Malfoy,' the vet said gently.

'I'm trying, Dr… I don't know your name…' Lucius said softly.

'Godson. Albert Godson,' he answered. 'Here, let me float her, and you go drink a brandy or some Pepper-up,' he added.

The last thing that Harry heard was Lucius saying, 'No… No, I'll stay with you, Dr Godson.'

Harry reflected that people were extraordinary and weird, and Lucius really cared for the old cat; the reforming Dark wizard had almost killed Harry years ago, but he was distraught because Nora had been hexed.

Nemesis landed on Harry's shoulder as Harry positioned his prisoners upright in the huge fireplace in the dining room.

Harry wasn't sure that the fireplace in the Ministry jail area was big enough for three; therefore, he decided to Floo into the Atrium. Once there, Nemesis flew off; the owl seemed to be on a mission.

On his way down to the Ministry jail, Harry met Dolores and a guard; she was being led to her trial.

'Harassing honest citizens so early, Potter?' Umbridge spat, which made the guard cringe.

'Shut your trap, I'm not in the mood,' Harry barked. He looked at the guard and asked, 'Are any of your colleagues down there?'

'Yes, Auror Potter,' the guard said.

'_Auror_,' Umbridge snorted.

The guard prodded her ribs with his wand and said, 'You heard the man, shut your trap, Dolores.'

Umbridge was so surprised that she didn't say another word, and Harry had a smile when he arrived at the booking area.

'You'll have to keep these two,' Harry told the guard, as he filled out the crime register.

'Yes, Auror Potter,' the guard said.

'Is there a crime wave going on? Are all the Aurors out this morning?' Harry inquired.

'I don't think so, Auror Potter. Let me check,' the guard said. He cast a spell on a Ministry register and answered, 'Three teams are out on patrol, but two are in.'

'I'm going to yell at them… to begin with,' Harry said.

The guard took the two trespassers into cells, took their wands, closed the door and freed them from Harry's spell. When they started shouting, the guard cast a Silencing charm on the cells.

'Here, Auror Potter,' the guard said as he handed Harry the prisoners' wands.

Harry smiled, took the wands and said, 'I'll write my report, I'll add an evidence file to their folder, and I'll keep their wands in my safe.'

The guard beamed at Harry. Harry smiled and left.

Once on the floor of the Auror Department, Harry only had to follow Minerva's shouts to locate the office of the Aurors on duty who hadn't come to Harry's help.

Harry jogged into the office; he caught a glimpse of the shimmer of an Unspeakable.

'Oh, thank Merlin, Harry!' Minerva exclaimed.

'Oh, Mummy's happy now,' one Auror said with a nasty chuckle.

Harry smiled at Minerva and said, 'She's my _protector_, but I inherited a few things from my mum. Remember, the Auror who would have killed Voldemort if the man hadn't been completely barmy?'

That chilled the mood of Harry's colleagues, but Minerva smirked.

'Now, guys, I don't even _know_ you, but I'd like to know why you didn't come to help _me_,' Harry said more calmly than he'd thought possible on his way up.

'We had reports to finish,' the same Auror said with a smirk.

'Bet you have a hard time spelling "honour", Auror… Lettery,' Harry said as he looked at the name-plate on his colleague's desk.

'Who do you think you are, Potter?' Lettery barked, going red.

'I'm an Auror, just like you, and I needed help to stop trespassers. Good thing they were only two, and I was able to stop them with just two spells,' Harry said.

'You were made an Auror yesterday, boy,' Lettery's partner, Chipsam, said.

'Yea, and where were you when I was fighting Voldemort?' Harry retorted.

'How dare you?' Chipsam growled.

'You know, I could understand that you took your sweet time to go help the Malfoys, but I'm sure Draco said that I was there, and so you knew I needed help,' Harry said.

'No, you didn't. You stopped them with two spells,' Lettery said.

'I can't believe that!' Chipsam said laughing.

'I can't either!' Lettery chuckled.

Two other Aurors, Herman and Vinta, had been enjoying the interaction up to that moment, but they decided to join the fun.

'He certainly got help,' Herman said, moving closer to Lettery and Chipsam to show his support.

Vinta joined them and said, 'Very easy to prove.'

Vinta pointed his wand at Harry and cast the latest spell invented by Harry on Harry's wand. He took the parchment generated by the spell, and he and his colleagues read the last five spells cast by Harry.

'Whoa!' Herman exclaimed.

'One spell to make the wizards float,' Vinta said.

'One spell to silence a wizard' Chipsam went on.

'Two to stop them,' Lettery read aloud.

'And… My, my… Does Mummy know that you know that particular Sex spell?' Herman asked.

Minerva smirked and said, 'Yes, I do, and if you don't stop acting like twats, I'll spank you in the Atrium on Monday morning, when everyone can see you.'

'I hope you know what you just did,' Harry said very quietly.

'We revealed to the world that you're a pansy?' Herman joked.

'So you're stupid _and_ a homophobe? Brilliant!' Harry said.

'I bet it was the Malfoy son,' Chipsam said.

'He called him _Draco_!' Lettery added.

'I call him Draco because I went to school with him, and "Malfoy" that's his father,' Harry said, thinking quickly.

'Yea, right,' Vinta said.

'I have a receipt from a _Muggle_ gay pub where I was last night, but that's not the point, gentlemen,' Harry said coldly.

'So, what's the point?' Herman asked.

From the threshold, Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, with Nemesis on his shoulder, growled, 'The point is, you let a fellow Auror down.'

The four older Aurors stood at attention and stopped smirking. Nemesis flew to his chosen master.

'There's that, Minister, but that wasn't the point,' Harry said.

'What do you mean, Auror Potter?' Kingsley inquired, truly surprised.

'Well, in fact, I can understand their not coming to help me because I was protecting the Malfoys – though I'll say it _again_, without Mrs Malfoy's help at the end of the battle, I might not have been able to stop Voldemort. So, I was protecting citizens of our community, which is why I'm paid, and since there were only two idiots, I could stop them… _alone_. However, and correct me if I'm wrong, Minister, I didn't do anything that warranted my own colleagues to check my wand, did I?' Harry asked.

Kingsley looked at Harry and said, 'It was, indeed, uncalled for.'

'And costly,' Harry said coldly.

Kingsley blinked at that.

'Obviously, my respectable colleagues learnt my new spell, the spell that I invented to help Aurors and Unspeakables catch _criminals_ and put them in jail for the crimes they _did_ commit, but they didn't check the restriction I put on it,' Harry declared.

Kingsley took the copy of Harry's spell that he'd found on his pile of letters, and he read the restrictions again; he squeaked.

'Restrictions?' Lettery said, taking his own copy.

The four Aurors checked the parchment with Harry's new spell.

'You can't mean…' Chipsam squeaked.

'Oh, I'm very sorry, _gentlemen_, but the patent clearly states that the price to cast my spell is fifty thousand Galleons for civilians and officers of the law using it outside of work. You used it on me illegally, so you owe me fifty thousand Galleons,' Harry declared.

Minerva was the only one who chuckled.

'But, Harry…' Herman began to say.

'_Harry_ is it now? A minute ago, I was a pansy,' Harry interrupted his colleague.

'He's not gay,' Kingsley said, looking at Harry.

'The Sex spell he used…' Vinta began to say.

'Can be used with a girl,' Harry smirked.

'But you said you were in a gay pub!' Lettery said.

'And I never said with whom. How long have you been Aurors?' Harry said with a smirk.

'But…' Chipsam said, only to be interrupted by Kingsley.

'Oh, shut up, you idiots! Your _stupidity_ cost the Ministry a huge sum, and your _pettiness_ potentially endangered one of your colleagues. I've got quite a lot of work, and you're making me waste my time. I'll let your new boss deal with you as she sees fit, which should be interesting,' Kingsley said somewhat harshly.

'Yea, why did you have an old Unspeakable become the Head Auror?' Lettery inquired.

'And a woman!' Chipsam added.

Harry saw the shimmer bristle. 'Oh, guys! You are _so_ screwed! Witches rock,' he said

'Thanks, Harry,' Minerva said proudly.

'Just telling the truth, Min. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go start my report on the trespassers,' Harry said.

'It can wait until Monday morning, Harry,' Kingsley said gently.

'With my luck, something else will happen before Monday morning, Sir. Besides, it should be quick; they destroyed a few things, hit a house-elf and attacked Nora. I'll type that, secure their wands, and I'll go see how that poor cat is faring. They used the Cruciatus on her,' Harry said.

Minerva gasped.

'By the way, do you know any spells that could help her? Harry asked her.

She shook her head, which made him sigh.

'That spell's not illegal on non-humans!' Chipsam said.

Harry looked at Kingsley, who shook his head. 'It's animal cruelty!' Harry protested.

'It's just a _cat_!' Herman said.

'Animals are just animals, and then Muggles don't have magic, let's get rid of them… Oh, wait! That reminds me of something,' Harry spat. He looked at Minerva and said, 'I'll come home as soon as I can.'

'Do what you have to do, Harry,' Minerva said.

Harry left and went to his office.

Minerva turned to Kingsley and said, 'My dear Minister, I'll leave you to your task.'

Kingsley bowed, and Minerva went back to the Atrium to Floo back to Hogwarts.

The Minister for Magic turned to his former colleagues and said, 'There are no words to say how much you disappointed me.'

'It's the _Malfoys_ who were targeted!' Herman said.

'If they'd been attacked by a mob, Harry would have fought alone, you despicable creatures!' Kingsley shouted. 'With the mountain of Galleons you've cost us, you should be humbler!' he added.

'We can coax the boy into not making the Ministry pay, I'm sure,' Lettery said.

The new Head Auror cast off her Invisibility spell and said, 'Auror Potter cannot afford to not make you pay.'

The four Aurors turned around.

'Meet you new boss, Annabelle Godson. I'll leave you now,' Kingsley said.

'Come see me for tea, Minister,' Annabelle told him.

Kingsley nodded. 'I'll be delighted, Head Auror,' he said and then left.

Annabelle closed the door with a mere wave of her hand and said, 'Auror Potter cannot let you get away with what you did, which was quite low, by the way, otherwise no one will take him seriously, and he can't allow that to happen. Now, Aurors… we're going to work on emergency procedures when other Aurors call for help… for a start.'

The four Aurors knew that this would be a very long day.

Meanwhile, Harry did what he had to do as fast as possible, and he went back to Malfoy Manor with Nemesis.

In the kitchen, the three Malfoys, the vet and all the house-elves were around the patch of lawn where Nora was. The potion that she needed was just finished.

'How is she?' Harry inquired.

'We'll know after she takes her potion, and I cast a simple Healing charm on her,' Albert said.

Drop by drop, Nora was given a spoonful of potion.

'Now, the spell,' Albert said.

'Dr Godson?' Harry asked.

'Call me Albert, please,' he said.

'All right… Would it make a difference if we all cast a Healing charm on her, or is it a cat-spell?' Harry asked.

'It's a special spell for cats, and I don't have time to teach it to you all, but it was a good idea, Auror Potter,' Albert said.

'Harry,' the young man said.

'I understand even better why Nemesis chose you. I'll be delighted to meet your kitten next week,' Albert said.

'Nemesis is quite extraordinary. He knew you'd be needed, and at the Ministry, he went to warn the Minister,' Harry said.

'I was leaving when your owl arrived, and that told the Minister that he had to hurry and go to your help,' Narcissa explained.

'I'm glad you're Nemesis and Milady's Vet-wizard,' Harry said, looking at the vet.

Albert nodded and smiled. He looked at Nora and whispered, 'One spell, baby, and you'll feel better.'

Albert cast the spell. Lucius and Draco were holding their breaths, but they felt relieved when Nora stopped shivering and got up, growling.

'Good girl! You're tough,' Albert praised Nora.

The cat almost howled.

'Is she in pain?' Draco asked worriedly.

'No, she's pissed off. Pardon my French,' Albert said.

'Tell you what, Nora, if the super-attorney that your big wizard is going to hire doesn't get the wizard who attacked you punished properly, I'll sneak you into his cell, and I'll let you have a chat with him while he's wandless and bound,' Harry said.

Nora looked at Harry and stopped howling.

'I promise,' Harry said.

Nora yawned and went to sleep on a cushion that was on a chair.

Eefys sent the patch of lawn back into the garden. 'May we work on the damage, Auror Potter?' she asked.

Harry nodded, and half the elves went out.

'You'll stay for lunch,' Narcissa told Albert and Harry.

Harry smiled and said, 'Thank you!'

'I was to have lunch with my sister, but I guess she's busy at the Ministry now,' Albert said. 'I gladly accept… and I can check on Nora, and show you how to give her the potion,' he added.'

The Malfoys nodded.

'Why would your sister be busy and not have lunch with you?' Harry asked.

'She's your new boss,' Albert said.

Harry's eyes twinkled à la Dumbledore when he said, 'My dear Albert, I need you to spill the beans.'

Albert giggled, and the tension left the room. Nora would recover, and lunch promised to be quite nice.

'Lunch can be ready in thirty minutes,' Eefys announced.

'Perfect!' Lucius said.

This was the first time that her master was being so nice, and the old elf flapped her ears with happiness.

'I understand that you were away for months. Perhaps I could check all your cats,' Albert suggested.

'Yes, please!' Lucius and Draco said in synch.

Narcissa, Harry and Albert smiled widely.

.

.

When Harry was typing his report before heading back to the Malfoys', the Snapes were en route to the Grangers'.

.

[Next scene as soon as possible]


	45. Chapter 45

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Severus helped his wife through the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron, and from there, Hermione piloted her husband through the Muggle tube to her parents' house.

From their dining room window, William Granger was waiting for his daughter and his son-in-law to walk up the street; he wanted to scrutinize the couple when they wouldn't know that they'd be observed. Finally, he spotted his daughter; she was holding hands with Severus, and it looked as if she was giggling.

William walked to the kitchen where Martha was finishing making lunch.

'So?' she asked.

'She _really_ looks happy,' he said.

Knowing her husband, Martha Granger added, 'And?'

'She loves him, and I think he loves her,' he answered.

'Will… Darling… Keep in mind what the witch in that Hogwarts portrait explained. Our daughter was ready to die for him, and she bloody brought him back to life. Get used to it, our baby is a married woman, she's ready to kill or die for that man, and we're going to be grandparents next March,' Martha said.

William nodded, but Martha spotted something in her husband's reaction. 'What's on your mind now?' she inquired.

'I'm not sure I'm ready to become a granddad,' he admitted.

Martha laughed quite heartily.

'What?' he complained, pouting.

'Ready or not, it's not about _you_, Darling. Our baby's going to have a baby…' Martha's voice trailed off, and this time, it was William's turn to notice something.

'Darling?' he said softly.

'It's just that I remember what Poppy told us about the possible consequences of the magical attack on Hermione,' she explained.

'She's not going to lose that baby,' William declared with confidence.

'I hope not! I don't really understand what she sees in her husband, but God help us, she loves him more than _anything_, more than us, more than life. If she could never have a child with him… I don't want to imagine what it'd do to her… to them,' she said.

'You know what? I'm sure Severus will do everything he can to protect that baby,' he told her.

She took a deep breath and said, 'I'm not really ready for a grandchild, but if anything were to happen to that baby, I might well disembowel the sub-creature that attacked her.'

William took Martha in his arms and hugged her tenderly.

The doorbell rang.

Martha hugged William back and said, 'Show time!'

William grinned and went to open the door. 'Hermione, Severus, you're right on time for a drink. The appetizers are still in the oven. Come in, come in,' he said.

Hermione pecked her father's cheek; Severus would rather have met with Voldemort right now (his experience with parents – even his own – wasn't that good, and he was convinced that the Grangers disapproved of him), and he didn't let go of his wife's hand.

William spotted Severus's uneasiness and turned to his daughter. 'Why don't you go see your mum in the kitchen?' he suggested.

Hermione squeezed Severus's hand and told her father, 'Be nice. We can hex.'

She'd already taken a few steps towards the kitchen when she realized what she'd said. She went on towards the kitchen, while Severus wanted to follow her.

William stopped him with a hand on Severus's arm, and he said, 'She'll talk with her mother. Come with me.'

'It's my fault,' Severus murmured.

William invited his son-in-law into the dining-room where everything was set for drinks. 'Don't be daft. Even if you were Voldemort himself, that doesn't justify anyone attacking our Hermione,' he said.

'If she were with another wizard…' Severus began to say softly, in order to make sure that neither Martha nor Hermione would hear him.

'Who? Someone like Weasley? Some heartless prat who'd flee, or judge her, or would want to change her? Look, some people managed to tell us some of the things you did, but I don't give a damn about your past. I'm only interested in your future. If you make our daughter happy, we'll be good friends; if you betray her, I'll ask Potter to deal with you,' William said.

Severus nodded slowly. 'She's the only witch in my life,' he declared seriously.

'Then do everything you can for her,' William said.

Severus nodded.

William grinned and said, 'Perhaps you could start with Muggle clothes for when you come here, or even when you go to town or something. She loves plays, you know.'

Severus looked at his uniform; it could do when he was single, but his father-in-law had a point. 'I'll have to ask her to take me shopping. The last time I bought Muggle clothes was before I went to Hogwarts,' he explained.

William looked at Severus up and down and said, 'I'll help you if you want.'

'Why would you?' Severus asked.

'Because you're our daughter's husband, and you're willing to change for her. If you're ready to do that, I'm ready to help you,' William said.

'Help him do what?' Martha inquired as she walked in, holding Hermione.

When the young witch had entered the kitchen, her mum knew that she was upset, and she'd made Hermione admit that she was sad because she'd forgotten _again_ that her magic was gone for the moment. Martha had cheered her daughter up with a hug and a kiss (and the account of an odd dream she'd had while in Hogwarts).

Now, Martha wanted to know what her husband was planning to do with Severus.

'Shop for Muggle clothes,' William explained. 'Even if you don't spend all your free time with us, which is perfectly normal and understandable, you'll need clothes to travel, go to museums and theatres,' he added.

Involuntarily, Hermione took a deep breath that suspiciously sounded like a sigh.

'Hermione?' Severus said.

'I miss paintings and plays,' she admitted honestly.

'The last time I went to a museum was when I was in primary school, and Miss Teetile was quite boring, but perhaps I was too young,' Severus said.

'I thought there were no magical schools before Hogwarts,' William pointed out.

'My father insisted on my being sent to a Muggle school, and my mother didn't object,' Severus explained.

Martha saw the spark of interest in her husband's eyes, but she had an idea for their family. 'Before you start grilling Severus, I've got an idea for the rest of the day,' she said.

'Mum?' Hermione asked.

'You could go use your dad's credit card to buy some new non-witch clothes, while I help your husband chose a suit that won't make him look like an escapee from the Middle-Ages,' Martha said.

'I can buy clothes with my first wages,' Hermione protested.

'Early birthday present, and I'm not going to the National Gallery, the Globe and the Criterion with you dressed like this. Yes?' Martha said.

Hermione squealed and looked at Severus, as if to ask if he agreed.

Severus smiled and said, 'I got lost after gallery, but if you want to do it, I'll be by your side… even if I object to my uniform being called mediaeval.'

William chuckled, got up and said, 'I'll go order tickets.'

'If there's a tragedy on…' Martha began to say.

'I'll pick another theatre. I know the drill, Darling,' William answered.

William left, and Severus opened his mouth, but Martha spoke first, 'It'll be an early birthday present for you, too.'

'His birthday's in January,' Hermione said.

'Then it's a wedding gift,' Martha said.

Severus tried to protest once more, but his mother-in-law glared at him. Hermione chuckled, which made her mother and husband smile.

'All right,' Severus granted. He grinned and added, 'I'll just have to retaliate at Christmas.'

'Do you celebrate Christmas?' Martha inquired.

'I celebrate Yule, but I'll have something for you for Christmas,' Severus declared.

Martha looked at her daughter, and Hermione saw the silent question in her mother's eyes. 'Mum! I'm still a Christmas fan; the fact that Severus's set of beliefs deals with Yule, not Christmas per se, doesn't mean that I'm going to stop celebrating as usual,' she said.

Martha nodded slowly and asked, 'Will you be able to come home for Christmas?'

'Mum… My home's with Sev now, and we'll probably be working over the break. However, we can probably work something out and have you over at Hogwarts,' Hermione said.

'That'd be very nice,' Martha told her.

'I'm sure we can plan something,' Severus declared.

'We've got a few months to plan things,' Martha said.

Severus chuckled darkly.

'What?' Martha inquired.

'We'd be well-advised to plan what we'll do over the Yule break sometime during the summer because once Hermione and I are back to work, we won't have as much time as you think,' Severus explained.

'But surely you've got free time. You only have to teach a few hours each day,' Martha said.

Severus laughed heartily, and Hermione chuckled.

'Hold the cliché, Mum!' Hermione protested.

'What do you mean?' Martha asked.

'Teaching is much more than just showing up for class. One needs to have the lesson prepared, and if there's a test, one needs to correct it, and then plan the next lesson. When one is a teacher, it takes more time than just the time spent in a classroom,' Hermione explained.

'Surely, it doesn't take _that_ long,' Martha said.

Hermione and Severus snorted in synch, which Martha found cute and scary at the same time.

'You really don't get it, Mum,' Hermione declared.

'If it's so tiring, perhaps…' Martha began to say.

Hermione interrupted her and said, 'Hold it right there, Mum. I'm pregnant; I'm not dying. I bet that teaching will be fun after being on the run. It's Sev who's going to have some extra work with his new position.'

Martha looked at Severus, who said, 'Our new Headmistress relied on the school wards in order to make sure that the students weren't misbehaving, but I know it's not enough. I'll have to take care of my Slytherins, and make sure the other students are safe, too.'

'But you'll take care of Hermione first, right?' Martha said.

'Absolutely not. I'll lock her in the dungeons, and I'll never speak to her,' Severus deadpanned.

Martha blinked, which made Hermione laugh quite heartily.

'What?' William inquired, as he joined them again.

'Mum thinks that teaching is just the time you spend in the classroom, and that Sev isn't going to take care of me,' Hermione said.

'All right, I think I'm going to need either the cipher or an explanation, point-by-point, to get that one. For the moment, we should hurry lunch if we want to go shopping before the theatre. I got us a Shakespeare, but in another theatre,' he said.

'We could go shopping another day,' Severus suggested.

'Oh, no, Mister. You're not going to escape me. We might not have enough time to go see our Van Gogh, but you'll go to the theatre in a normal suit… Normal for us, Muggles,' Martha said.

Severus bowed, and then he asked, 'What about that Van Gogh?'

'He's our favourite painter,' Hermione began to say.

'One of our favourites,' William countered her.

Hermione smiled and went on, 'One of our favourite painters, and we pretend that the paintings at the National Gallery are ours. Weird, I know.'

'No… I understand,' Severus said.

Hermione saw that there was more to it, and she decided to grill her husband later… at home, at Hogwarts.

'Do you?' William inquired with curiosity.

'Dad!' Hermione protested.

'All right, all right. Would you like some whiskey, Severus?' William asked.

'No, thank you. I very seldom drink. I've seen what alcohol can do,' he answered.

'Mango juice?' William suggested.

Severus turned to Hermione and asked, 'Do you think I'd like that?'

William and Martha found that entirely too cute.

'It might be too sugary for you, but I think you should try it,' Hermione answered.

'Hermione?' her dad asked.

'Some lemonade, Dad, thanks,' she said.

They drank a first drink and started eating tiny appetizers.

Martha brought the topic back to Severus's going to Muggle primary school.

'My mother hadn't told my father that I'd showed signs of magic, and since he wanted me to be _normal_, I went to Muggle school for a few years. It was tough because I always enjoyed what my mother taught me about magic more,' Severus explained.

'What about your children? Will you send them to primary school?' Martha inquired.

Severus turned to Hermione and said, 'I see the plural runs in the family.'

Hermione laughed merrily.

'I'd like you to have children,' Martha said softly.

Severus knew that Hermione's parents had only had her not by choice; it was a twist of biology. Severus gave Martha a small smile.

'I can teach our family about Muggle stuff; there's no need for a Muggle school. Our baby, or babies, will grow up in Hogwarts, where they'll go to school at eleven,' Hermione declared.

'Little Darling… What if…? What if your baby doesn't have magic?' William asked bravely.

Hermione blinked a few times. Slowly, she placed her hand over her belly and said, 'I'm still not sure that my magic is going to come back after I have the baby, but I _know_ the baby will have magic.'

'You must be able to feel the magic. Even if your magic is gone _for the moment_, you know what it feels like,' Severus said.

'Perhaps you'll have a magical explosion when you deliver the baby,' Martha said.

'It's possible,' Severus agreed.

'If you need non-magical help for the delivery, all you have to do is ask us,' William said.

'Thanks, but Dyann will be able to help me, and Sev, too. You'll be pacing outside and making bets on the gender,' Hermione told him.

William smiled and said, 'All right.'

Martha went to the kitchen and came back with the first course.

The Grangers asked Severus a few questions about his life, about himself, and about trifles, such as his tastes in dishes. Severus asked his parents-in-law a few questions, too, but he used Legilimency mostly. Both sides were satisfied, and Hermione was no fool and discreetly counting the points.

All in all, lunch at the Grangers' was very nice.

They walked back to the tube together and headed for the heart of London.

'All right, let's meet in front of the theatre thirty minutes before the play starts? First group gets the four tickets?' Martha suggested.

'Works for me,' Hermione said.

Looking at a spot next to Hermione, Severus declared, 'Weniers, you're to stay with Hermione at all times. If you fail to protect her, the lowest circle of hell will look like a holiday resort.'

Still invisible, the house-elf answered, 'Yes, Master.'

Hermione took Severus's hand and squeezed it briefly before following her father. They walked away together; Severus was glued to the spot until he could no longer see his wife.

'Will you be all right?' Martha asked him kindly.

'No… but if I don't allow her to act normally, it might slow down the return of her magic. I know that our house-elf would kill or die to protect Hermione, and I'm sure that I spotted at least one Unspeakable near her,' he answered.

'One of those super spies, right?' she said.

He nodded.

'Severus, you're going to be a very good husband,' Martha said.

'What makes you say that?' he inquired.

'You love our daughter, you respect her, and you protect her… and you're about to allow me to buy you a decent suit. Almost perfect,' she said.

'Almost?' he said.

'If it has no magical significance, I'd advise you to cut your hair. It was probably nice when you grew up in the 70s, but… now…' she said.

'Hermione never said anything against my hair,' he pointed out.

'Which doesn't mean that she really likes it. We taught her well, and even when there are things she doesn't like, you won't hear her say a single word,' Martha said.

'That's not the Hermione I know,' he said.

'Don't you have a potion to re-grow your hair if it turns out that she doesn't like it short?' she wondered.

'I've got a potion for almost everything, but there's even a spell for that,' he explained.

'Good, perhaps you can go to a hairdresser someday, and change it back if she prefers your mop,' Martha said.

'There's a spell for that, too,' he declared.

'Perfect! You could surprise her when we join them at the theatre,' she said.

He nodded slowly, as if weighing his options.

'Now, let's go shopping,' Martha said.

She started walking, and he followed her. Severus looked around; it was odd for him to be in Muggle London with time to enjoy what was around. Martha led him to a huge shop where there were more selections than Severus had seen since his childhood.

'Show me your eyes, Sev. We'll pick a suit colour to match them,' she said.

'Martha, only my wife calls me Sev,' he said gently.

'Duly noted; now, look at me,' she told him.

He gave her a small smile and looked at her. She smiled back and walked through the Men's Clothes department like a pro.

She found a nice moss green with light brown specks suit that she combined with a very light pastel green shirt and a dark green tie. She made him try the suit, and she was satisfied with the results; she bought him everything, and he ended up with a big plastic bag.

'All right, I've got enough time to show you our Van Gogh collection,' Martha said.

Severus followed her again.

'I've got a mad idea,' Martha said.

'Madder than running in the underground to the museum and then to the theatre?' he deadpanned.

Martha laughed heartily and said, 'Yes, my dear, except that the theatre is right behind the museum... I was thinking that you could change into your new clothes in the museum's restroom. It'd be a surprise for our Hermione.'

Severus nodded, and once at the National Gallery, he left Martha in order to change into his new Muggle clothes.

He got out of the stall after reducing the size of his own clothes and storing them in his pocket; he only had to tie his tie now. He was fighting with it and was about to go ask Martha to help him when a young man walked in, and until he came back towards the sinks and mirrors to wash his hands, he observed Severus.

Once his hands were dry, he asked, 'Would you like some help?'

Severus used Legilimency to make sure that the young man wasn't a wizard sent to try something against him, but it turned out that he was just gay and finding Severus to his taste.

'If you don't mind… My mother-in-law bought me this tie, but I'm seldom the one tying them,' Severus smoothly lied as he informed the young man of his marital status.

In just a few seconds, the tie was tied.

'Thank you,' Severus said.

'You're welcome,' the young man said.

Severus cleared his throat and said, 'May I ask you a question?'

'If you want to know if I'm gay, the answer's yes,' the young man said with a grin.

Severus chuckled and said, 'No, I know that.'

The young man blinked once, and then said, 'Ask away…'

'My mother-in-law said that my hair's too long. Do you think she's right?' Severus inquired.

'Are you expecting some bloke solidarity or the naked truth?' the young man asked back.

'The truth,' Severus answered.

'I think she might have a point… I mean, if you're not a rock singer, you may be a bit too old for that, but it all comes down you what _you_ want, what your spouse wishes, and what your boss expects,' the young man said.

Severus nodded and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

'Cheers, mate! And don't hide for too long here, or Mummy will come to fetch you, even in here,' the young man said before going out.

Severus took the wand that he'd hidden in his left sleeve, and he cast a spell on his hair, making it much shorter as he copied the style of the young man who'd just left.

Martha was moving closer to the door inch by inch when the door opened, and a transformed Severus walked out.

'Ah!' she exclaimed.

'So?' he asked.

'Fantastic! Did you use you-know-what on your hair?' she asked.

He nodded.

'Not bad,' she said. 'Now… let's go introduce you to a few paintings,' she added.

They were admiring _Long Grass with Butterflies_ together when they got a surprise.

'I can't believe it!' William exclaimed.

Hermione squeaked.

Severus turned to his wife, looked at her and said, 'Pretty dress.'

'Thank you,' she said with an odd voice. 'Weniers stored the other things Dad bought me. Nice suit, but what the _heck_ happened to your hair?'

Severus briefly glared at Martha and said, 'It was suggested to me.'

'Mum?' Hermione growled.

'He looks much better now,' Martha said.

'And by that you mean that he looks like a Muggle,' Hermione protested.

'Absolutely not!' Martha defended herself.

'I take it you don't like it,' Severus said.

'Sev, it's _your_ hair, but… I hate it!' Hermione admitted.

'Good,' he said with a wide smile.

'Are you going to spell it long again?' Hermione inquired.

'No… _you_ will,' Severus declared.

For a couple of seconds, Hermione glared at Severus.

'You can do whatever you want to my hair when your magic is back. Until then, it stays this way,' he declared.

'Hell! You know how to spell motivation,' Hermione said.

'That, I do, Professor Snape,' he said.

Hermione beamed at her husband. A second later, she was trying to cast the spell to make his hair longer again, but it didn't work _yet_.

'Just you wait!' Hermione promised.

Severus smiled.

.

[End of Part 45]


	46. Chapter 46

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

This odd family looked at a few more paintings, and they headed to the theatre where Severus was properly introduced to William Shakespeare. It turned out that Severus quite enjoyed _As You Like It_.

'There are many plays that I'm sure you'll like,' Hermione told her husband as she took his arm when they walked out of the theatre.

'I'll have a bit more time to read now,' Severus said.

'I'll make us piles of books in the parlour, and we can choose things to read from them,' Hermione announced.

Severus nodded and smiled.

'We can lend you books, too,' William said.

'Thank you,' Severus told him.

'We can talk about more books over dinner,' Martha said.

'All right, but we could go back to your house instead of going to a restaurant,' Hermione answered.

'If I may…' Severus intervened.

'What, Sev?' Hermione told him.

'We could invite your parents to the Leaky Cauldron. It might be interesting for them, and it'd be less tiring for you,' Severus declared.

'I'm not sick!' Hermione growled.

'You're not, but you've been through a lot, and there's no need to stress your body even more now. Besides, Arthur told us a few things about this pub, and I'd like to try their dinner menu,' William said.

Hermione shrugged.

'You're strong, Darling, but take care of yourself,' Martha added.

'Besides, I think we could scare a few people in the Wizarding community at the pub,' Severus said.

Hermione grinned and said, 'I can kick the idiots and get away with it.'

'Hermione!' Severus exclaimed.

'Come on! You can hex freely to protect me. If you pretend that you don't find the idea remotely inspiring and appealing, I'll find you a new nickname,' Hermione said.

'Hermione, if anyone attacks you, I'll kill,' Severus told her very seriously.

Hermione stood on tiptoe and pecked her husband's cheek. She smiled and added, looking at her parents, 'If you don't mind, it's true that it's more reasonable to go somewhere with a connection to the Floo Network.'

'We'll go to the Criterion some other time,' Martha said.

'I've got an idea!' William exclaimed. He grinned and added, 'But I really don't know if it's possible.'

'What is it?' Severus inquired.

'Well, perhaps it could be practical if you could Floo directly to our house, but our witch is living with you now, and I can't remember what Hermione told us about the kind of magic that would still be possible after she left,' William explained.

'I'm not sure,' Severus said, as he turned towards his wife.

'I'll have to check,' Hermione admitted.

The voice of the Unspeakable protecting Hermione came without her making herself visible, 'Considering Professor Snape's unique magical condition, you can have her parents' place of residence connected to the Floo Network. It's a priority 2.'

'Thank you!' Hermione exclaimed.

'I'll send an owl to the Ministry when we're home,' Severus said.

Hermione grinned and beamed.

Martha turned towards the spot where the voice came from and asked, 'Would you like to have dinner with us?'

'Very kind, Ma'am, but I'm on duty,' the Unspeakable said.

'Some other time?' William asked.

'She cannot, Dad,' Hermione pointed out gently.

William looked toward the place where the Unspeakable had to be and said, 'To protect her identity… I understand. I thank you for what you're doing for our daughter, and if you retire before we die, come see us, we'll take you to dinner.'

The Unspeakable chuckled and said, 'You're on! Professor Snape is my last mission. The day her magic comes back, I'll go to another Department where my identity won't be an issue.'

'Come see us then,' Martha said.

'I will,' said the Unspeakable.

Hermione's stomach growled.

'And that's our cue to head to dinner,' William declared.

They all chuckled and walked to the Leaky Cauldron where they spent a very nice evening together. The Grangers took a taxi to go home, and the Snapes Floo'ed to Hogwarts.

Just a few minutes after their return, Astoria knocked on their door. The young Slytherin froze for a moment when she saw her head of house in Muggle clothes and with a new haircut.

'What can we do for you, Astoria?' Hermione asked kindly.

'I think my sister is writing to our father. I didn't tell her anything, but she could report some suspicions,' Astoria said. She looked at the floor and added, 'I'm sorry to bother you.'

'This is no bother, Miss Greengrass. Stay here with Professor Snape, and I'll go see what's going on with your sister,' Severus declared.

Astoria gave him a small smile, and she joined Hermione on the sofa.

As he closed the door, Severus heard his student say, 'May I help you with something, Professor?'

Severus smiled briefly; Astoria was a charming witch, but her sister was sometimes too much like their father, and he knew that Daphne could spell trouble.

The few Slytherins who were in the common room stopped talking when they saw Severus's new look.

'Is Daphne Greengrass in her room?' Severus asked his students.

'I think she went to the Owlery,' a student answered.

'Thank you,' Severus said, as he swirled around and rushed to the Owlery.

He was on his way there when he met the older Greengrass, who was heading back to the Slytherin house.

'May I ask why you're out so late, Miss Greengrass?' Severus inquired smoothly.

'I had to send an owl home,' Daphne answered.

Still in spying mode, Severus asked, 'Did you receive bad news?'

'No, Sir,' Daphne said.

'Then, why did you feel the urge to venture up to the Owlery so late?' he asked.

'Something happened to my sister, and Father wants to know everything that happens to us,' she explained.

'What happened to your sister?' Severus pretended to wonder as he began thinking about using Legilimency on the girl.

'You know what happened to her, Sir,' Daphne protested.

'What makes you think so, Miss Greengrass?' Severus went on.

'Her friends told me that she didn't spend the night in her dorm, I hear that she stayed with you, and two students were expelled. It's obvious that she was attacked. Father had to be told,' Daphne said.

What broke Severus's heart was that the girl had been conditioned to believe that she was doing what was right.

He sighed deeply and declared, 'Miss Greengrass, you jumped to conclusions. While it is a fact that two students did something that warranted their being expelled, your sister was doing something different. In fact, she was doing something for Auror Potter; if you ruined his work, I won't protect you from his anger.'

Daphne gasped.

'Don't you think that this warrants a second letter to your father, Miss Greengrass?' Severus inquired coldly.

The student nodded. 'May I go, Sir?' she asked.

'You may," Severus answered. 'Don't forget that only Auror Potter knows why he needed your sister's help, and he wouldn't be pleased if your father questions him,' he added.

She nodded again.

'Now, run!' Severus said.

Daphne ran.

In her thoughts, Severus saw that she was mostly brainwashed by her father, and that she hoped Auror Potter wouldn't be mad at her. She wasn't evil, just very indoctrinated; her father was the real danger.

'Kreacher!' Severus called.

The old house-elf appeared almost instantly. 'Deputy Headmaster, what can I do for you?' he asked.

'Do you know where to find Harry?' Severus inquired.

'Yes, Deputy Headmaster, he's still with his new friend,' Kreacher answered.

Severus chuckled and said, 'With his new friend, and his new friend's parents?'

Kreacher grinned and said, 'Yes, Sir.'

Severus laughed softly and said, 'Of course, the father is at sea.'

Kreacher nodded.

'Will you go there and tell Harry that Daphne Greengrass sent a letter to her father, but I told her that Astoria helped Harry do something?' Severus asked.

'Of course, Sir,' Kreacher said. 'Am I to wait for an answer?'

'No, thank you,' Severus told the elf.

Kreacher bowed and left to go to the Malfoys'.

On his way back to his quarters, Severus was sorely tempted to laugh. First, the situation with Harry and Draco and a clueless Lucius was just too funny, and then the few, older students who were heading to their houses almost all collided with one another, or walls, or objects when they noticed Severus and his new look.

Severus ended up almost running to his quarters. He knew that Astoria would certainly wonder what possessed him, but he leant against the door after closing it, and he allowed himself a good laugh.

'What's so funny?' Hermione asked her husband.

'Students nearly colliding with walls when they see my new wardrobe,' he explained, still chuckling and sitting on the sofa next to Hermione.

'It's not your suit, Sir. It's your hair,' Astoria said.

'Is it that bad?' Severus asked, suddenly worried.

'Absolutely not, Sir, but it's so different that it's quite a surprise. Besides, you know how some of them can be; they're stunned by even the tiniest thing,' Astoria said.

'You're right, Miss Greengrass,' he conceded.

'But they must be funny!' Hermione said with a wide smile.

'Oh, they definitely were!' Severus exclaimed.

'You'll have to share that image with me when my magic's back,' Hermione declared.

Severus beamed.

'What?' Hermione wondered.

'You didn't say "if", you said "when", Ma'am,' Astoria pointed out.

Severus nodded and added, 'I think your magical reserves need to recharge, and you must be starting to feel something… something that's not the baby,' he said.

'The baby's just a bunch of cells for the moment, so it's got to be something else,' Hermione said. 'Well, when my magic's back, I want to laugh, too,' she added.

'I promise,' he said. He turned to Astoria and told her what he'd done for her.

'Sir, I'm afraid that my father will want to interrogate Auror Potter in order to know what I allegedly did for the Ministry,' Astoria said.

Severus snorted and said, 'It might be a bad idea for your father. Harry's good, but when angered he's quite resourceful.'

'Sir…?' Astoria whispered.

'What's on your mind?' Severus inquired gently.

'What happens to people who are disowned?' Astoria asked.

'That won't happen to you,' he said.

'What if it does?' Astoria insisted.

'I won't allow it!' Hermione growled.

Anger bubbled in Hermione, and Severus and Astoria almost expected her to have a magical explosion right then, but it didn't happen.

'One day, your magic's going to explode all over the map, Professor,' Astoria said.

'Soon, I hope!' Hermione admitted.

Astoria smiled at Hermione, and then looked at Severus.

He sighed and said, 'If it comes to that, and your father disowns you, the Headmistress can adopt you.'

'Why would she?' Astoria mumbled.

'Why wouldn't she?' Severus countered her.

Astoria shrugged.

'With Harry to protect you, things will be fine,' Hermione said.

'I hope so, Professor Snape,' Astoria said softly.

'I'll escort you to your dorm,' Severus told his student.

Astoria got up and told Hermione goodnight.

'I won't be long,' Severus told his wife.

'Excellent. If so, I'll put the kettle on for _tea_,' Hermione declared cryptically.

Astoria briefly wondered how Hermione would make tea without magic, but Severus got the message loud and clear. He escorted his students and headed back home in record time; he was almost jogging.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	47. Chapter 47

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Lucius was still entirely at sea, but Narcissa decided to help them by discreetly unlocking a magical door between her son's room and Harry's guestroom.

It was Draco who joined Harry in his room after dinner.

'We've got a problem,' Harry told his boyfriend.

'What do you mean?' Draco wondered as he sat down on the bed next to Harry.

'Your mother's protecting us…' Harry began to say.

'Because she doesn't care that you're a bloke,' Draco interrupted him.

Harry nodded and went on, '_Yes_, and she's even ready to see us get married.'

'What?' Draco almost yelled.

'Yea… your father would try to convince us to have a biological heir, but your mother doesn't care. She just wants you to be happy; that's all,' Harry said.

'But…' Draco began to say.

'I know, mate, I know. We're just…' Harry said.

'Spending some time together and making peace?' Draco suggested.

Harry nodded fervently. He looked at the floor and said softly, 'I'd be quite lonely if it weren't for you.'

Draco wrapped an arm around Harry's neck and whispered in his ear, 'Same here, Auror Potter.'

Harry put his head on Draco's shoulder and said, 'I'm not an Auror yet.'

'You'll have your badge very soon,' Draco said softly.

Harry heard something in his boyfriend's voice, and he read Draco's thoughts. 'I won't go back to where we were, once I feel better and I've got my full Auror status. I still think that I prefer witches in the long term, and even when we've both found witches, I want us to be friends,' he said.

'Are you reading my mind, _Potter_?' Draco gently teased his friend.

'Yep,' Harry admitted.

Draco hugged Harry and whispered, 'Good, you can _always_ do that, and I want to be your friend, even when we're both married and old. There's just one thing…'

'What?' Harry asked.

'We'll have to make sure our wives aren't Legilimens,' Draco said.

'Or that they don't care,' Harry pointed out.

Draco looked at his boyfriend and said, 'Now I see why you're an Auror.'

Harry chuckled warmly.

Draco moved closer to his boyfriend and kissed him.

From there, the night progressed more horizontally and magically.

.

.

Deputy Headmaster Severus Snape woke up with… a paw on his nose. It was a tiny paw with all its sharp, needle-like claws drawn out.

Severus groaned and opened his eyes.

'What do you want, Milady? Where's your Harry?'

'He most likely spent the night having fun with "you know who", and I bet she couldn't find Minerva to get something to eat,' Hermione said.

'Weniers!' Severus called.

Their house-elf arrived instantly. 'What may I do for the Severus?' she asked.

'I'd like you to feed Harry's kitten, please,' Severus said.

'Do you want me to bring her meal here or to take her back to her room?' Weniers asked.

'Let's keep her here, but drop a note to Harry… in case he comes home and wonders where his kitten is,' Hermione answered.

'And do you want breakfast?' the elf asked.

Severus looked at his wife, and both grinned.

In synch, they answered, 'Yes, please.'

Weniers left to go to the kitchen.

Hermione took a good look at her husband, and she started laughing quite heartily.

'What?' he asked.

She laughed a bit more and managed to explain, 'Your hair… in every direction!'

He touched his short hair and had to admit that she was right. 'I'll be happy when your magic's back,' he said.

Hermione tried to cast the spell to make his hair grow again, but it didn't work.

'Too bad,' he said.

She pecked his cheek, and Milady meowed.

Weniers came back with trays. She placed a small plate on the floor for Milady, who jumped off the bed and started almost inhaling her food.

Then, she placed her two trays in front of Hermione and Severus.

'We could get up, you know,' Severus pointed out.

'Not on a Sunday morning!' Weniers protested.

Severus smiled and said, 'All right.'

The Snapes enjoyed their breakfast, while the guest-kitten jumped back onto the bed to observe them with great interest.

Weniers busied herself in the parlour – not that there was much to do in the Snapes' tidy quarters.

Hermione had had breakfast in bed only when she was sick, and Severus had never had one. They both enjoyed that decadent treat.

'This is not unpleasant,' Severus said.

'Indeed,' Hermione agreed.

'We could make this a Sunday ritual,' he suggested.

Chewing a piece of toast, she nodded fervently, which made him smile.

She swallowed and asked, 'What do we have to do today?'

'The Weasley twins will visit me tonight, but otherwise, we're free. Is there something you'd like to do?'' he inquired.

She frowned.

'Tell me,' he encouraged her.

'There are many, many things that I'd like us to do, but I don't know where to start,' she explained.

'Give me your top ten,' he said.

'Top three. A picnic by the lake, a trip to London to have lunch together, or a visit to your house to work on it with a bit of magic; after all, we're going to spend the summer there,' she said.

'Hermione, first, it's _our_ house, and I think that we should spend the summer _here_. We were attacked in that house, and the neighbourhood there is dead. We should sell it and look for something nicer. We can't afford to buy a new house until next year probably, but you deserve a nicer house,' he said. 'I could brew more rare potions and sell them to buy us a new house,' he added.

'Silly,' she said affectionately.

He tilted his head.

'I want to be with you for your brains and your wits. If I were after money, you'd still be dead and I'd be Mrs Potter now. Until my magic comes back, I'm going to slave you in our house, but that's _our_ place, the refuge where I could take care of you and where we had _tea_ for the first time after bonding. It may be small and in a now deserted district, but I don't care. That's our home. I want to tell you how to decorate it and help you with Muggle things; I don't want you to spend all your free hours in your lab, chained to a cauldron in order to make money. I just want you. All right?' she said.

He smiled and pecked her lips. 'You're right. If we use magic on the house, we can make it quite pleasant _inside_. The neighbourhood is secondary.'

'We'll have to make sure Tommy and Max are all right, though,' she said.

'I'll send Weniers to add some magic to the box we gave them,' he told her.

'I wish we could do more,' she admitted.

'Tommy accepted help only for Max,' Severus reminded her.

'I know,' she said with a deep sigh.

He looked at her, realized that she really felt indebted to both human and dog, and that made him fall for her even more. He smiled and said, 'Don't worry, I'll find something.'

Severus barely had enough time to make their trays float away before she engaged in some joyful marital duty.

After their morning tea, the Snapes agreed that they weren't in the mood to go to their house to work on it (they'd do that later, only over the summer perhaps). Going back to Muggle London didn't appeal to them that day, so they ended up heading to the lake for a picnic.

They quietly settled on a blanket spelled to stay dry and warm.

'Are you sure you don't want to go to the house later?' Hermione asked as they placed the contents of their basket on the blanket.

'I can spell whatever we want there in just a few minutes,' he answered softly. He looked at her and said even more softly, 'Now, if you want to spend some time alone, I can understand and go work in my lab.'

She shook her head, but didn't say a word.

'Granger!' Severus sighed.

'Hey! I'm a Snape now!' she protested.

'Not when you behave like the annoying girl you were when you arrived here. My wife speaks to me; she doesn't keep whatever bothers her secret,' he said.

She shrugged and said, 'It's just that I don't want you to be fed up with me if we stay together all the time.'

He shook his head and sighed deeply. 'Hermione… I'm still amazed that you want to be with me, be my wife and carry our baby. I don't deserve someone as radiant as you… not with my past. I'm not done being amazed, and I'll keep being amazed for a few decades. I want to spend my free time with you because I can protect you then, but if your magic comes back in one minute, I'll still want to be with you, to get to know you better and spend time with you,' he admitted.

She gaped and finally said a single, 'Whoa!'

He smiled.

'I love you, too,' she said.

He tilted his head.

'That's exactly what you said, with other words, Sev,' she told him.

He might be older by the number of years, but she was sometimes more mature in their relationship.

'We'll just have to be honest with each other when we need some space,' she declared.

He nodded solemnly.

The Snapes' lunch was very nice, and they got some entertainment, thanks to some students, who, just like the night before when they'd seen Severus's new look, were having a hard time realizing that teachers were human beings, too, and particularly that Severus Snape was married and gentle with his wife – a Muggle-born witch.

The Snapes ended up heading to their quarters because they didn't want the students to see them chuckling madly because of their reactions to them. They made a list of the magical improvements for their house… and two lists of possible names for their first baby, which was a rather entertaining activity since Hermione was in favour of very classical names while Severus wanted something more neutral, more… Muggle.

'This _is_ going to keep us busy,' Severus pointed out.

'And perhaps we'll agree, or change our minds, right after the birth,' Hermione said.

He nodded.

'I still think that Agatha would be a very good name,' she said slyly.

'No.'

'Why, Sev?' she asked.

'It's a nice name, but not with our surname. _Agatha Snape_ would be too much for a little witch,' he said. He sighed and added, 'As well, I think I had a great-aunt Agatha on my father's side.'

'Was she a nasty lady?' Hermione inquired. 'I know that your father was not a nice man, but I don't know anything about your Muggle family,' she added.

'There's not much to say about them. My father didn't want them to discover that his wife and son had magic, so there were very few meetings. I remember seeing his parents only a few times, and my grandmother mentioned her sister once, but everything's in a blur. I was too young,' he said.

'Severus… there's no nice way to ask you this, but when did your Muggle relatives die?' Hermione inquired.

He blinked and said, 'I don't know.'

She grinned and asked, 'Are you _assuming_ that they're dead?'

'Yes, they're Muggles,' he stated.

She laughed softly and said, 'You'll be my first Muggle studies student, then, Darling. Muggles may not live to turn one hundred and fifty, but some of them turn one hundred. You might still have Muggle relatives.'

'Do you think my grandparents might still be alive? They'd be around eighty,' he said.

'It's possible. Would you like us to try to find them?' she asked.

'Why would they want to hear from me?' he wondered.

'Oh… Sev! Because you're their grandson. Don't you think that they'd like to know that you're still alive? I know your father was probably a nasty man with his own parents, but you're their only grandchild. If they're still alive, they'd be happy to hear from you,' she said.

'Do you really think so?' he asked her.

She nodded fervently.

'I don't remember their address. How can we find them?' he wondered.

'Thanks to the directory, and my parents can help,' she said.

'Would you like me to help you Floo there?' he asked.

'The connection can't already be open,' she pointed out.

'Weniers!' Severus called.

The house-elf arrived instantly. 'What can I do for the Severus?' she asked.

'Is the Grangers' house connected to the Floo Network?' he inquired.

'It was connected an hour ago. The Ministry notification is on your desks,' she said.

'Thank you,' he said.

Weniers became invisible again.

'So, would you like to go to your parents?' he asked.

'Well, yes, but only if you want us to try to locate your Muggle relatives,' she told him.

He shrugged and admitted, 'I don't mind, and I know you'd like to have a bigger family.'

'You really don't mind?' she asked.

He shook his head and changed into his Muggle suit, thanks to a spell.

Hermione beamed and said, 'You're so sweet.'

'No, I'm not. I love you; that's all,' he said.

'Gosh, I'm the luckiest gal on earth!' she said, blushing and grinning.

'Shall we go, or would you like me to ask Weniers to go warn your parents?' he inquired.

'Let's… send her,' she said. 'They're my parents, but since they remember who they are now, who knows how they're celebrating,' she pointed out.

'Good point, but I might have to Memory-charm myself to forget that image. Thank you,' he growled before calling Weniers and sending her to the Grangers'.

A couple of minutes later, the magic of the Floo Network took the Snapes into the dining room of the Grangers.

'I'll be damned!' William exclaimed.

'Quite amazing!' Martha chimed in.

'You'll get used to this magic,' Hermione said.

'The nice man from the Ministry who came to do some magic on the fireplace has left some dust for you,' Martha said.

'Floo powder,' Severus said.

'It's what allows us to start a trip through the Floo,' Hermione added.

The Grangers nodded.

'Would you like some tea?' Martha asked.

Severus shook his head.

'No, thanks. We'd just like to borrow your phone,' Hermione told her mother. She turned to her husband and said, 'I'll need a mobile to go with my computer. I'll have to ask Harry to introduce me to his provider.'

'Perhaps you can ask him to go shopping with you sometime this week,' Severus said.

'But…' she began to protest.

He sighed and said, 'You'll pay for it when you get your wages if you want, or we'll share it if I need to use it, too. If even my father had a phone installed when I was a child, it can't be too expensive.'

'All right… And perhaps Harry's friend can help find a good discount,' Hermione said.

'You could borrow one of ours until you get one. Just a loan, you know,' William suggested.

Hermione and Severus looked at each other.

'Thanks, Dad, but we'd like to use one that'd be ours,' Hermione answered.

William smiled and nodded.

'Well, for the moment, the landline's all yours,' Martha said.

'Thank you, Martha,' Severus said.

Hermione turned to her husband and asked, 'What's your grandfather's name and address?'

'John, and I don't remember the exact address,' he said.

'Were they living in Salford, too?' Hermione asked.

'No, in Meltham, east of Manchester,' he said.

Hermione pecked her husband's cheek and went to phone Directory Enquiries.

'So, do you have relatives in the north?' William told Severus.

Softly, in order to avoid Hermione hearing him, he answered, 'I think they're dead now, but Hermione wants to check.'

'And you're letting her,' Martha said fondly.

Severus nodded once.

Martha looked at her son-in-law strangely and said, 'You said no to tea, but would you like something else? Some mango juice maybe?'

The day before, Severus had been quite surprised to like it so much, and he agreed to have some more.

While Martha went to the kitchen, William murmured, 'She likes you.'

'Why?' Severus wondered, lost.

William explained in whispers why he knew that his wife was beginning to consider Severus as a member of their family.

Hermione was having an interesting chat with a very helpful young man working for BT. It turned out that there was no John Snape in Meltham, but there was an Agatha Snape. Hermione thought that Severus was, perhaps, too young when he visited his grandparents and he'd mixed up the family ties and that Great-aunt Agatha was a cousin or something. The odds of Agatha Snape, from Meltham, not being one of Severus's relatives were rather low.

Hermione decided to bite the bullet and she called Agatha Snape.

"_Hello_?" said a lady.

'Good afternoon, Ma'am. I'm awfully sorry to disturb you on a Sunday, but I'm a Snape, too, and I was wondering if you're a relative of a Severus Snape,' Hermione said.

The lady on the phone gasped and asked, "_Do you know anything about my nephew_?"

'Nephew? He thinks you're his grandmother's sister, in fact,' Hermione explained.

The lady sighed deeply and said, "_He was too young to understand_." She paused briefly, took a deep breath and asked, "_Do you know where he is? His parents are dead, and he disappeared in 1979_."

'If we're talking about the same person, and it'd be odd that we both know a different Severus Snape, he's in my parents' dining room,' Hermione said.

"_How?... Who are you_?" Agatha inquired.

'If my Severus is your nephew, then I'm your niece by marriage,' Hermione said.

"_Severus is my brother Tobias's son. His mother was born Eileen Prince; a charming girl way too good for my brother_," Agatha said.

'That's it! You're our aunt! Oh, I'm so happy I've found you!' Hermione exclaimed. She turned to the dining room and yelled, 'Sev! Agatha Snape is your aunt, and she lives in Meltham!'

Severus and the Grangers rushed to Hermione's side.

"_Where are you? When can I see you_?" Agatha asked.

'We're in London right now, but we work in Scotland,' Hermione said. Severus signalled her to hand him the phone, and she added, 'Severus wants to speak with you.'

"_Severus? Is it really you? I thought you died in the coach accident, too_," Agatha said.

'I am Eileen and Tobias's son, and I'm _sure_ my grandmother said Agatha was her sister,' Severus said.

Agatha sighed. "_I can tell you now; you're an adult. Your grandmother had me when she was fifteen, and her parents said that I was their daughter. It took Mum and Dad quite a few years to get a court to change my status_," she explained.

Severus was taking it in.

"_Are you shocked_?" Agatha asked.

'No… Would you like to see me and meet my wife?' Severus said.

"_Oh, Severus! I'd love that. You can stay with me if you drive here_," she suggested.

'I've got another idea. I can come pick you up in five minutes,' he said.

Hermione nodded fervently, and the Grangers beamed.

"_But your wife said you're in London_!" Agatha exclaimed.

'We are, but I can be at your door in five minutes,' Severus said. He heard the awkward silence on the phone and added, 'Did my father ever tell you that my mother was a witch?'

"_Yes_," she answered.

'She was a witch… literally,' he told her.

"_Are you a wizard_?" she asked excitedly.

'I am, and my wife's a witch. Why are you reacting so well?' he inquired suspiciously.

"_Because Mum's grandmother was a witch and her father was a Squig. So, you can Apprate here if you want_," Agatha said.

Severus chuckled and said, 'It's Squib and Apparate.'

Agatha laughed softly. "_You'll have so much to tell me. You can _Apparate_ whenever you want_," she said.

Severus looked at his wife, who was nodding fervently, and he said, 'I'll escort Hermione back home, and I'll come see you.'

"_Oh, Severus, I've been hoping to see you again for so long_!" Agatha exclaimed.

'I'll be there in a few minutes,' he said.

"_I'll wait for you_," she said.

Severus hung up the phone.

'So, we've got another relative now,' Martha said.

'Yes, and my family history seems more complicated than I thought,' Severus said.

William went to get his mobile and handed it to Severus. 'You take this and you'll call Martha's mobile to keep us posted. It's a loan until we meet again, or until you two get one and you send us Weniers. Right now, you need to take Hermione back to your quarters and then go see your aunt,' he said.

Severus accepted the phone and nodded.

A moment later, the Snapes were Floo'ing back home.

'I can't wait to hear more about his aunt!' Martha said joyfully.

William smiled and nodded fervently.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	48. Chapter 48

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

It didn't take Severus long to Apparate to his aunt's kitchen. The old lady jumped a bit, but she rushed to him and hugged him.

Always cautious, Severus read her mind, but he only saw the soul of a kind woman, who was delighted that he wasn't dead.

'So… you're my _aunt_,' Severus said, as he sat across from her at her kitchen table.

Agatha nodded and said, 'Mummy was so young when she had me, and Papa was underage, too. My grandparents did what they thought was best. Tobias knew, but I think he liked the idea of being an only-child better.'

'Selfish,' Severus murmured.

Agatha nodded again and said, 'I don't think he deserved your mum. I met her only a few times, but she was a charming lass. Far too bright for him.'

'They were an odd couple,' Severus admitted.

Agatha smiled and said, 'For so long, I thought that I was the last one in our family, and today, your wife's found me! I'm so happy!'

'I should take you to her… You might be surprised by her age, but witches and wizards live longer than Muggles,' he explained.

'She's of age, isn't she?' she inquired.

'Of course!' Severus exclaimed.

'Then I'd be a damn hypocrite if I were to say anything against this young lady,' she told him.

'As well, we can share our stories and catch up together. She knows everything I did during the war,' Severus said.

Agatha blinked, wondering what he was referring to. 'The Gulf War?' she inquired.

Severus blinked in his turn and said, 'That's a Muggle war. We've had a magical war, which is why I disappeared, by the way.'

'But you're safe now, aren't you?' she asked worriedly.

'The war, _our_ war, is over, but I did such horrible things that Hermione and I were attacked. She lost her magic saving me,' he said. When his aunt gasped, he added, 'Her magic will come back eventually. Probably after she delivers the baby.'

Agatha grinned and said, 'You're going to have a baby?'

Severus chuckled and said, 'Yes, and I'd probably better take you back to her, or she'll ask her cat to scratch me for being slow. May I use magic?'

'Of course,' Agatha said.

'I think I'll have to introduce you to the Grangers, Hermione's parents,' Severus said.

He Apparated his aunt to the Grangers', introduced her to them, and Floo'ed Agatha into their quarters.

Hermione and Agatha liked each other instantly.

Agatha told them everything about her life, and the younger Snapes loved the fact that she was a retired schoolmistress.

Severus told his aunt everything about him, from childhood up to Hermione's phone call.

Hermione tried to just summarize her life, but Agatha asked her so many questions that she got a good idea of who her new niece was.

The three Snapes were delighted to be together.

'Aunt Agatha, did my father know about the magic on his side?' Severus inquired.

'Grandpapa never made it a secret that he was a… Squib,' Agatha answered.

Severus hummed.

'Sev?' Hermione said.

'I do wonder if, like Petunia Evans, my father had a love/hate relationship with magic,' Severus explained.

'Do you think he chose your mother because she was a witch? But what could he hope besides having a magical child?' Hermione asked.

'Merlin knows what he might have hoped. Perhaps he thought that living with a witch would give him magic; that could explain his behaviour towards us,' he told her.

'Do you think he was jealous of you and your mother?' Agatha asked.

Severus nodded. 'Our family history might well explain a few things he told… well, shouted at us over the years,' he said.

'I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you,' Agatha said.

'Mum could have hexed my father, you know,' he told her.

'She must have loved him a lot,' Hermione said softly.

'She didn't think that any other man would want her,' Severus countered her.

'She should have left with you. Hell! Mummy and Papa would probably have helped her leave Tobias,' Agatha said.

'It was meant to happen that way,' Severus said philosophically.

Hermione and Agatha nodded.

'I can't believe that you're not shocked about my past,' Severus told his aunt.

She looked at him strangely and asked, 'How do you know?'

'He can read minds,' Hermione explained.

Agatha beamed and said, 'Quite extraordinary! Can all of you do that?'

'No, it's a rare ability,' Hermione said.

Agatha smiled; then she became more serious and said, 'I'm not judging you because I've seen how bullied pupils can react. I'm not surprised that you fell for that Voldemort's lies. You've redeemed yourself; otherwise Hermione wouldn't have saved you.'

'Quite so,' Hermione agreed.

'I'll improve by her side now,' Severus said.

'You know, we've found you because I was telling Sev that Agatha is a good name if we have a daughter, and he remembered you,' Hermione told the other lady.

Agatha cooed. 'What about Eileen?' she asked.

'My poor mother wasn't that happy,' Severus pointed out.

'With a surname such as ours, you'll have to find something not too common and not too rare,' Agatha pointed out.

Hermione and Severus looked at each other and traded smiles.

'Oh!' Hermione exclaimed.

'You've got an idea,' Agatha said.

Hermione nodded fervently and said, 'Helena.'

Severus looked at his wife and said, 'I like it.'

'Nice… What name or names did you choose for a boy?' Agatha asked them.

'Hermione's absolutely convinced that we'll have a girl,' Severus said, as his wife nodded fervently.

Agatha laughed softly and said, 'You'd better have names ready, because if you don't, you'll have a boy!'

'That's not how it works,' Hermione chuckled.

'But since you can't use a spell to check the gender of the baby and since the… erm… Muggle techniques aren't completely accurate, you can't be sure. Besides, it'll be either a boy or a girl, it's not a Herculean task,' Agatha said.

The couple nodded.

'What kind of names would you like for a baby boy?' Agatha inquired.

Hermione and Severus traded looks.

Severus opened his mouth and exclaimed, 'Fred!'

The Weasley ghost had just appeared in the room.

'I like him, but his name doesn't get my vote,' Hermione said after chuckling heartily.

'My brother used a spell to project me here. Is it a good time to come?' Fred asked, already fading.

'Start the operation, and Floo right here,' Severus answered.

Fred was nodding as he disappeared.

'Can you magical people project images?' Agatha inquired.

'Um… no,' Hermione said.

'Fred's a ghost, and his twin, who's still alive, must have used some kind of special magic. Is it all right with you if they visit us for a moment? I promised George to do something to help him,' Severus told his aunt.

'I'm delighted that you're not ashamed of me,' Agatha admitted softly. 'Help that young man, by all means,' she said.

'Aunt Agatha, you've been nicer to me since I met you than my father was in his entire life. You're a Muggle, but you're one of my relatives, and you're in our lives now,' Severus said, smiling warmly at the old lady.

Agatha looked absolutely delighted.

'By the way, we'll have to plan a family gathering,' Severus said, turning to Hermione.

'Mum and Dad would be happy,' Hermione told him.

'At home?' Severus asked.

'You Apparate there, do a bit of magic, and since it's a Muggle kitchen, we cook together?' Hermione suggested.

Severus nodded and added, 'I could prepare a few things in the house, but… don't you think we could go to the Three Broomsticks next weekend? We'll need more than a week to decide what changes we want inside the house.'

Hermione hummed and granted, 'You've got a point.'

Weniers cleared her throat; she was hiding behind the sofa, and Hermione looked over it.

'Come meet our aunt,' Hermione told the elf.

'Won't the Agatha Snape be afraid?' Weniers asked worriedly.

'We can call Pomfrey if you do frighten her,' Severus told their elf.

Weniers walked around the sofa and waved timidly at the Muggle.

'Aunt Agatha, this is Weniers; she's a house-elf who helped me after the last battle. We wouldn't be here without her,' Hermione explained.

'House-elf?' Agatha repeated, blinking at Weniers.

'The Agatha Snape isn't afraid of the way Weniers looks?' the elf asked, wringing her hands.

'Absolutely not. I don't know what you are, but if you helped Hermione and Severus, that's enough for me,' Agatha said.

'She'll be a full part of the family by next year if she wants,' Hermione said quite emotionally.

'The Severus should take the Hermione in his arms; she's a bit overwhelmed by the day,' Weniers said.

Severus did as suggested.

'Weniers can prepare lunch here next weekend. No need to head outside,' she said.

The three were nodding when the Floo network activated and spat the Weasley twins onto the carpet.

'Quite the entrance!' Hermione said with a chuckle.

'We had to pretend to be in a hurry, Professor Snape,' the twins said in synch.

Hermione laughed softly.

'You look good, 'Mione,' George said.

'Oh, George! Don't tell me I have a beautiful glow,' Hermione said with a chuckle.

'I'm the only one glowing,' Fred said.

'Easy one,' Hermione pointed out.

'Aunt Agatha, these young men are George and Fred Weasley. Gentlemen, this is my aunt, Mrs Agatha Snape,' Severus said.

'Weasley?' Agatha whispered to Hermione.

'Don't worry, Ma'am, we're on your side. Our little sister is a silly little princess and our brother Ron lost his eyebrows when he opened his post this morning,' Fred said.

Hermione laughed heartily at that.

'Professor, we can come back later,' George told Severus.

'_Weasley_,' Severus growled, as he closed the Floo with a flick of his wand.

'Thanks,' George said.

'He did a great job at the pub. Rosmerta, and quite a few others, will certainly want to know what was in the phial,' Fed said.

'Phial,' Severus told George, holding out his hand.

George surrendered the phial to Severus.

'Weniers, dispose of its contents, please,' Severus said.

She took the phial from her chosen master's hands and trotted outside.

'All right, George, I can do nothing about your ear to restore it, but if your brother stands inside you, I'll get a model to create a fake. Gentlemen?' Severus said.

Fred shrugged and walked inside his brother; after all, they'd tried that before, for fun.

With a series of spells, Severus created the form of George's missing ear, and then he grew George's skin over it to hide the trick.

'Fred, outside,' Severus ordered.

The ghost obeyed instantly and looked as his brother. 'Almost as good-looking as me,' he said.

George looked very excited and asked, 'May I touch it?'

'It's your fake ear,' Severus said.

'There's a mirror in the bathroom,' Hermione said, pointing towards a door.

George gestured as if to ask for permission, and Severus waved him off.

'Go!' Hermione chuckled.

George almost Apparated there, and he squealed with delight.

The young man rushed back into the parlour and said, 'You were right! I can't feel my new ear, but it looks like the original one!'

The next second, George was hugging his former professor.

'I'm glad it worked. In a few decades, I can make it match your looks then; it's never going to change otherwise,' Severus said.

George beamed. 'Thanks, Professor!'

'If you need babysitters in a few months, we volunteer,' Fred told them.

'Really?' Agatha said, clearly puzzled by the ghost's offer.

'My twin would be the only one able to hold the baby, but since I don't need to sleep, I could monitor the baby non-stop,' Fred explained.

'That could be useful, but neither of you is in debt with me,' Severus told the twins.

'In case you haven't noticed, our family got seriously reduced, and one of us is dead. We can do with…' George began to say.

'Friends,' Fred finished.

'No favours when we start teaching your own children,' Hermione declared.

'Deal!' the twins said.

Agatha chuckled.

'It'll be great to have nephews,' Fred said softly.

The twins managed to hugs each other.

'Just try to avoid having twins,' Severus told George.

'It runs in the family,' George protested.

'Besides, it could happen to you,' Fred told Severus.

Severus blinked.

'It can happen to anyone,' Agatha agreed.

'You're not helping, Aunt Agatha,' Severus pointed out.

'My dear nephew, I'm merely stating the truth,' Agatha said.

'I hope it's just one baby. I don't feel built for twins,' Hermione told them.

'With a Potions master in the family, you'll go through pregnancy easily,' Fred said.

'I bet he'll invent potions to help you after the delivery,' George added.

'There are already many potions that exist,' Severus pointed out.

'I remember Mum saying to a cousin that some of the most efficient ones need to be brewed for a long time,' Fred said.

Severus smiled.

'Professor?' George said with a wide smile.

'Of course he started brewing, you silly boys!' Hermione said affectionately.

The twins grinned. 'It's a pity your husband won't work with us. Couldn't you try to convince him?' they asked Hermione in synch.

'Don't be silly… He said you could come see me if you need help. If we get stuck, I'll ask him to help, too,' she said.

Fred and George beamed and said, 'It'll be fun!'

'What are you planning to do?' Agatha asked the twins.

'We invent and sell fun articles. We'd like your relatives to work on a few projects with us,' George explained.

'You're very young to have your own business, aren't you?' Agatha asked.

'We were only able to start it because Harry helped,' Fred said.

'Have your relatives told you about Harry Potter?' George inquired.

'They mentioned him, indeed,' Agatha answered.

'He knew we'd need fun. The end of the war was awful,' Fred said.

'We were able to open our shop, thanks to Harry, and he gave me my brother back,' George said.

'How?' Agatha wondered.

'He helped us with some High magic. Fred wasn't visible after the last battle,' George said softly.

Fred aimed his hand and seemed to pat his brother's shoulder, and he said, 'Gred was miserable without me, and Harry helped us with something quite powerful.'

George remembered how miserable he'd felt after his twin's death, and he paled a bit.

'Hey! I'm here with you, and we'll be together until you die… hopefully of natural causes, not in a freak accident in our test lab, also known as _the_ _kitchen_,' Fred said.

'Is your link something very unusual?' Agatha asked.

'Quite,' Hermione answered before the twins even opened their mouths.

'So… High magic is rare,' Agatha said.

George nodded and said, 'Very. That's what Hermione used.'

George stopped, and Fred went on, 'When she saved Professor Snape.'

'She _resuscitated_ me, Weasley, and don't think that you can get away with everything because you're a ghost now. The local ghosts can tell you that it's unwise to annoy me,' Severus said.

The twins were about to apologize or justify themselves, but Agatha spoke first, 'Surely, you had to be a bit alive.'

Severus glared at the twins for bringing that topic on.

'No, Aunt Agatha, he'd really left us,' Hermione said softly.

Agatha looked at her nephew and said, 'You're one lucky man. Don't ever betray her love, or I'll no longer consider you my nephew.'

'I know what I owe her,' Severus said solemnly.

'I was being selfish,' Hermione whispered.

Fred cooed, which made Severus glare again. 'Look, Professor, you can probably find ways to make my afterlife quite odd, but it's great that Hermione's love could bring you back. There were too many deaths in the war,' he said.

Severus sighed deeply. 'You're right, and I know that I'm blessed,' he declared.

'I had to do it,' Hermione mumbled to no one in particular.

Severus gently caressed her cheek, and they traded looks as if they were alone in the room.

Right then, there was a knock on the door, and Fred rushed through it to see who was on the other side.

'It's Kreacher,' Fred announced.

'Come in!' Severus said.

The house-elf bowed and said, 'Headmistress McGonagall would like to know if your guests will have dinner with us.'

George looked at the clock on the mantelpiece, and he realized that it was almost dinner-time, indeed; he'd been so focussed on his ear's rescue that he didn't really register the passing of time.

'Perhaps we should leave you now,' George said.

'And miss the opportunity to torture Ginny?' Hermione asked.

Severus looked at his wife and smirked.

'It's either years of being a Gryffindor with us around, or the lady is catching up some Slytherin vibes,' George pointed out, smiling widely.

'Would you like to stay for dinner, Aunt Agatha?' Severus asked.

'Me? A Muggle?' she asked back.

'You're our aunt. No one would say anything against you because they know I'd hex to protect you,' Severus said.

'Mrs Snape is on the Protection list of the Unspeakables,' Kreacher said.

'Already?' Hermione asked excitedly.

Kreacher nodded and said, 'The Minister for Magic gave orders to have your family protected until we know who undid your Memory-charm on your parents. Mrs Snape will be protected at all times. The headmistress said that she'll understand if you'd rather have your dinner served here, but you're welcome at the High table.'

'I don't want to intrude,' Agatha said.

'You're not!' Hermione said.

'I can Apparate you back to your home whenever you want,' Severus said gently. 'Perhaps not going through the Grangers' Floo connection, though,' he added.

'You're more than welcome to use our place as a connecting platform between here and your aunt's house,' George said.

Severus looked sceptical, but Fred was nodding fervently.

'I think that seeing a bit of normal life at the High table might help the younger students,' Hermione said.

'Stability is important,' Agatha agreed.

Kreacher snapped his fingers and announced, 'We'll have two guests tonight.'

Fred whispered something to his brother, who nodded.

'No planning mischief with the un-living residents!' Kreacher told the ghost.

Very seriously, Fred said, 'No… I'd just like to poll them about the afterlife and how to be a better ghost.'

Kreacher smiled.

'Merlin help us!' Severus joked.

George laughed heartily.

'Nice new ear, Mr Weasley. Dinner'll start in fifteen minutes,' Kreacher added before leaving the room.

George touched his ear again and beamed.

There was another knock on the door. This time, it was Draco who was passing by to tell his head of house that he was back.

Draco was introduced to Agatha, and they all went to the Great Hall.

Agatha absolutely loved the portraits, and the students on their way to the hall were all very nice to her.

Next, Agatha was introduced to the Snapes' colleagues, while Fred went off to look for his fellow ghosts. George waved at Ginny when she arrived, and she looked positively flabbergasted to see him here… and with a new ear!

Agatha sat between Hermione and Severus, and the house-elves brought the dishes to the tables with magic.

Ten minutes after dinner started, Harry arrived through the students' door. He walked straight to the Slytherin table to have a word with Astoria Greengrass.

Harry whispered in her ear, 'Severus warned me. Don't worry, you're protected. Now nod a few times and look serious.'

Astoria obeyed while the whole school observed them.

'Thank you, Miss Greengrass. Enjoy your meal now,' Harry said loudly enough for the students around, and Daphne in particular, to hear.

Hermione and Severus traded looks, thinking that Harry was really becoming an Auror.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	49. Chapter 49

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Agatha and Minerva got along rather well, and the other teachers compared notes with the retired schoolmistress; the conclusion was that pupils are pupils, whether they're Muggles or have magic. That launched Hermione into a defence speech for Muggle Studies that managed to interest her fellows in the topic for the first time.

They were sharing some cheese when Severus asked Minerva if she had a valid candidate for the "cursed position".

'Cursed?' Agatha asked in a worried gasp.

'Not literally, Aunt Agatha, but the position is rather unfortunate,' Severus said.

Agatha sighed with relief.

Minerva took a deep breath and said, 'I've got an appointment with another candidate in a few days. If this one isn't brave enough to become our next Defence teacher, I'll have to ask you to find a way to help us, Severus.'

He looked at Hermione, who nodded.

'If there's no one, I'll teach both,' Severus declared.

'I can help with the theory of Potions and Defence,' Hermione added.

'We cannot risk your magic, my dear. It's too dangerous for the moment!' Minerva protested.

'Why don't you have Harry detached from the Ministry? He was great when he taught Dumbledore's Army,' Hermione said.

Harry almost spat the pumpkin juice that he was swallowing, but Minerva had a strange light in her eyes.

'No way!' Harry protested. 'Look, Min, I wouldn't be an Auror if you hadn't protected me, but I'm not stopping my training to come teach. If I do, I can kiss my badge goodbye.'

'He's right,' Severus agreed with Harry.

Minerva sighed deeply and said, 'You're right; you're made to be an Auror like your parents.'

'And Deputy Headmaster Snape can multitask like a god,' Harry added.

'I don't know if I should thank you for the compliment, or hex you for the possible triple job I'll have,' Severus said.

'Perhaps the next candidate will be the right one,' Harry declared with optimism.

Minerva smiled.

'If you want, I, too, could try to find someone competent, Headmistress,' Severus said.

'If the next candidate isn't good enough, I'll ask you to help me find someone, and if we can't find a proper teacher, then you and I will share the position,' Minerva said.

Severus nodded.

'You have a very nice school,' Agatha told them.

'Thank you. I'm glad we could save it,' Minerva said.

'The war nearly destroyed us,' Filius added softly.

'I'm glad you still have your school,' Agatha said.

All the teachers smiled; they knew that Agatha understood.

They finished having dinner, and Agatha and George headed to the Snapes' quarters for some tea. George called his brother, and they Floo'ed to their place in order to spell some order there before Severus came with Agatha.

Once Severus and Hermione promised Agatha to phone her regularly, and once they'd agreed to have lunch with her next Saturday, Severus escorted his aunt back to her house.

'Go back to your delightful wife now,' she said as she hugged him fiercely.

'May I ask for your fireplace to be connected to the Floo Network?' he asked her.

'Of course! It'll be easier for you when you come to see me,' she agreed.

'If it's not done by next Saturday, I'll Apparate to you to take you to the Grangers',' he said.

She nodded. 'Now go home to Hermione. She's a delight,' she said.

He kissed her cheek and Disapparated to George and Fred's place. George thanked Severus again for his fake ear.

'Stop thanking me! I should have known better than to use that spell in a messy battle. I got your ear, but I could have killed you,' Severus said.

'It was meant to happen that way, Professor…' Fred said.

'And I'm really grateful your _potion_ could help me,' George added.

That bit of good strategy made Severus smile.

'Good night, gentlemen,' Severus said, as he took a pinch of Floo powder.

'Good night!' they answered in synch.

A moment later, Severus was home.

Hermione was working on a file on her laptop, and she was chatting with her mum on the phone. When she saw Severus's look of surprise, she said, 'Weniers cast the spells for me.'

He looked a bit disappointed that she hadn't been able to do it herself.

'Go see your Slytherins,' she said, knowing that he needed to make sure that his charges were all right.

He pecked her lips and did as she suggested.

In the Common room, Daphne Greengrass was almost interrogating her younger sister (apparently their father demanded to know what Astoria had done to help Auror Potter).

'You're brainless, Greengrass,' Severus hissed at Daphne. 'I'll have to ask the Sorting Hat why it made you a Slytherin when you're obviously the worst sort of strategist,' he added.

'I must obey Father,' Daphne answered bravely, if stupidly.

'I see. You prefer to blindly obey to the one who should be protecting you, not abusing you and using you as a spy, rather than help your sister in her mission for the man who won the war,' Severus pointed out.

Daphne was lost, and Astoria was in shock.

'I didn't single-handedly win the war, Deputy Headmaster,' Harry said as he stopped hiding under his Invisibility Cloak and stepped out of the corner where he was hiding.

'You're the one who ended it,' Severus insisted.

Harry pretended to wave a hand in dismissal, and he turned back to Daphne as he said, 'I'm not going to claim that I know everybody at the Ministry, but I know that your father isn't working in, or for, the Auror Department. Therefore, you have no business interrogating Astoria. You're going to tell your father that you have nothing of interest to report, and Daphne… if he insists that you spy on your sister, you'll ask him to come see _me_ at the Ministry. I'm in the middle of a big inquiry, and I won't have a civilian ruin it because he's a paranoid parent. Clear?'

'I can't do that!' Daphne protested.

Harry glared at the silly girl.

'Miss Greengrass,' Severus addressed Daphne with his most suave and dangerous voice, 'Auror Potter can have you arrested for interfering with his work.'

'What is it going to be, Miss Greengrass?' Harry asked Daphne.

The girl seemed to hesitate.

'Don't make me call the Headmistress,' Severus added ominously.

Daphne looked at Harry and nodded.

'Thank you, my dear. Now, I need a word with your sister, and I think you've got a letter to write to your father,' Harry said.

Daphne looked at Severus, who said, 'Dismissed.'

Daphne left, but somewhat reluctantly.

Astoria looked on the verge of tears.

'I'd like to know why no one kept Daphne from her while I was away?' Draco shouted at his mates as he walked into the room.

'She's her elder sister, Malfoy, and she's obeying their father,' a seventh year answered quietly.

'We're not Gryffindorks, but I was expecting you to stand on the side of the law,' Draco spat.

'On the side of your new boyfriend,' another student hissed.

Draco and Harry had anticipated such a declaration, and they'd agreed on a strategy. They looked at each other and started laughing heartily.

'Oh, my! Look, Astoria is helping with one of my files because she happens to be able to do something to help me, and she's agreed to help; that's one inquiry. Now, I've been spending a bit of time with the Malfoys because I stopped trespassers on their property. Draco is a witness in that case,' Harry explained.

The accusing student was about to say something nasty, but Severus spoke first, 'I know that the last few months have been quite taxing, but I'm expecting you to stick together, not become divided.'

Harry felt that a few students were about to protest, and he decided to strike low and said, 'You're not going to behave like post-war Muggles, are you?'

'What do you mean?' a young student inquired.

'After wars, sometimes Muggles turn against each other, making some people pay for things that happened during the war,' Harry explained.

'That's stupid,' the same student commented.

Harry beamed and said, 'Quite.'

There was a low grumble; being compared to Muggles didn't please the Slytherins.

'So, may I work in peace?' Harry asked.

The students nodded.

'By the way, Auror Potter, my wife needs your help with a mobile,' Severus declared.

'I'm seeing Kate about more items soon; I can go chat with Professor Snape and ask her what she needs. I'd rather take care of the shopping than have your wife in Muggle London without her magic back,' Harry said.

Severus nodded.

'I can help if you want,' Draco said.

'Still a student, Malfoy… You're not allowed to go out,' Harry teased his boyfriend.

'Hell!' Draco hissed.

'You were allowed to stay outside because your parents went home, and then you were attacked, but you can't leave until the next weekend or the end of the school year,' Harry reminded him.

'You're right, Auror Potter,' Draco conceded.

Harry gave him a small smile, and then he turned to Severus and asked, 'Would you like me to go see your wife now?'

Severus nodded. 'I'll be with you momentarily,' he said.

'I was moving Miss Greengrass to the spare room,' Draco told his head of house.

If Severus gave his blessing, the room where Draco and Harry had meant to spend the night when they'd found Astoria would become Astoria's until the end of the term.

'Excellent idea, Mr Malfoy. She'll be safe, and Auror Potter will know where to find her,' Severus said.

The three men reflected that they were getting along splendidly now.

Harry went to see Hermione, Severus checked that his Slytherins were all where they should be (and he checked a few strategic places in the castle, making sure that older students weren't recovering from the war in compromising positions), and Draco escorted Astoria to her refuge.

'Would you like some tea? Hot cocoa, maybe?' Draco asked her.

She shook her head and whispered, 'You can go now.'

'Why would I leave you when you're obviously quite shaken by your stupid sister's behaviour?' he asked.

She cast a Silencing charm on the walls and said, 'Because you'd rather be with someone else.'

'What do you mean?' he said.

'I'm not stupid!' she shouted.

'Astoria?' Draco said gently.

'I won't tell anyone, but you can go see him. He's your friend… and more,' she told him.

'You'd make a good Auror,' Draco said.

'Do you think?' she asked, forgetting her anger.

'You'd need training though,' he pointed out.

She titled her head, puzzled.

'Auror Potter isn't exactly who you think he is,' Draco told her.

'Why?' she asked, genuinely curious.

'Let's have tea, then,' he said.

She nodded, and they sat at the desk that was near the fireplace as a house-elf brought cups and a teapot.

'You're both lonely,' Astoria declared.

'Which means that we're only spending time together,' Draco told her.

'That's all?' she inquired.

Draco nodded and checked the teapot. Astoria gently slapped his hand.

'Let's forget stereotypes, shall we?' he told her, as he poured their tea.

'You've changed,' she told him.

He chuckled and said, 'It's called growing up, I think.'

She smiled. 'What about…?' she began to say.

'Astoria, you can ask me anything you want. I'm not going to hex you,' he told her.

She looked terribly sad.

'Does your father hurt you? You're not his property, you know,' he said.

'He hexed me once, and that was enough to teach me to obey him,' she whispered.

'Hell!' he exclaimed.

'It's all right,' she said, shrugging.

'It's not all right,' Draco protested.

'Look… if my beloved sister doesn't get me disowned, he'll betroth me to one of his friends,' she said.

'That's terrible! Even my strange family doesn't do such things!' he exclaimed, truly horrified.

She laughed softly and said, 'None of my father's friends would want a wife who doesn't have her diploma.'

'You're going to get the best grades you can, and you're going to run away!' he said.

'As fast as I can,' she admitted.

'You're good!' Draco said with awe.

'So… You and Harry? It could work,' she said.

Draco blinked and said, 'Slytherin!'

She smiled again.

'And no… This is not what we want in the long term. We're building a friendship,' he told her honestly.

'Not to be alone,' she said.

'You know, I'm going to spend another year here. We could become friends,' he suggested.

'Really?' she said.

'You're more interesting than most of the rest of the lot,' he told her.

'You never paid attention until you found me right here, after… you know what,' she pointed out.

'Sorry, I was busy plotting against the Gryffindors, Harry in particular, and trying to survive the Dark Lord's associates and the madman himself,' he explained.

'We have madmen in common,' she joked.

Draco couldn't blame her for comparing her father to Voldemort. Lucius might have made some terrible choices, but when things got nasty, he and Narcissa had risked everything for Draco, whereas Mr Greengrass abused his children and would sell Astoria to some affluent man.

She sipped some of her tea and said, 'It'd be nice not to be alone, but I don't want to drag you into my nightmare.'

Draco was about to protest when the door opened and Daphne walked in. Astoria was frozen with fear, but Draco saw Harry getting rid of his Invisibility Cloak right behind her.

'Where's my cup?' Harry inquired nonchalantly as he walked past Daphne.

'We didn't know how long Professor Snape would need you,' Draco answered.

'Sorry, Daphne, but I don't think Auror Potter can allow you to stay,' Astoria lied.

'No way in hell,' Harry said quietly. 'Good night, Miss Greengrass,' he added.

Daphne took a step back, and Harry closed the door in her face.

'You're good,' Harry praised Astoria.

'I was telling her that she'd make a good Auror,' Draco said.

Harry smiled and said, 'Since we'll have to stay with you for a few minutes, perhaps you could tell us what you want to do after Hogwarts.'

She shrugged.

'Let's imagine that you escape your father's clutches, and you've got the best possible grades on your NEWTs, what would you like to do?' Draco asked her.

'You've got to have a dream,' Harry added.

'I'd like to teach, but the possibilities at Hogwarts are limited, or I'd like to work on plants,' she said.

'There are other magical schools in the world besides Hogwarts,' Draco pointed out.

'But she likes it here,' Harry said.

Astoria looked a bit surprised, but then she reflected that Harry might be a Legilimens, and she smiled. Harry winked at her.

'Your Headmistress allows you to lock your door with the most powerful charm you know,' Harry announced.

'That's very kind of her,' Astoria said.

'She's on your side,' Harry said.

'I should probably leave you now,' Draco said.

'Dessert tomorrow night?' Harry asked.

Draco nodded.

'I'll check you-know-what,' Harry said.

Draco smiled at his boyfriend and turned to Astoria. 'If anything happens, come see me immediately,' he said.

'He means it,' Harry told her, 'and yes, you're right about me.'

Astoria beamed. With those two around, she was beginning to think that she might escape and have a nice life far from the Greengrass family.

Draco went to his room, and after a few minutes, Harry headed to his quarters. En route, he tried to summon the Room of Requirement, which Draco and he were hoping to use the next night. It was still not responding, and Harry decided to check on the Marauder's Map what was going on with it.

When Minerva came home, Harry was in the parlour, grumbling as he read his map.

'What's wrong?' she inquired.

'I wanted to use the Room of Requirement, but it's stuck, and there's something strange about it,' he told her.

Minerva looked at the area where that room was supposed to be.

'Min, I don't like that,' Harry declared seriously. 'Do you have a way to check who's in there?'

'I could try to send a house-elf,' she said.

'Would you, please? I've got a bad feeling,' Harry told her.

It was Kreacher who answered Minerva's call, but when he went to the Room of Requirement, it appeared as an empty room, and he couldn't find a clue as to who had last summoned it. Perhaps Harry would be able to use it, at last, to spend some relaxing time with Draco, but _Auror Potter_ had an odd feeling about the whole thing.

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[Next part as soon as possible]


	50. Chapter 50

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

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Once more, Harry decided to trust his instincts, and he went back to the Room of Requirement and summoned it in a way that would make it available only to him and to Minerva.

For good measure, the Headmistress added a Security spell that would alarm the whole school if anyone but herself or Harry tried to summon the room.

Harry went back to his room, snuggled with Milady, dreamt about Draco and reviewed in his head what he'd done at work and would have to see with his new boss sometimes the next day.

.

.

Auror Potter had a fantastic Monday.

Annabelle Godson made a great speech to tell the Auror Department personnel what she was expecting from them, and she had a Ministry accountant give Harry the money the department owed him for misusing his new spell; she made it clear that she was a former Unspeakable, but that she was the Head Auror now.

Head Auror Godson told them what she expected from them, and she spelled out what she'd do to personnel who'd betray her.

When Harry was invited to be the first to be interviewed by the new boss, the other Aurors were happy that the newest recruit was the one called – that'd give them some additional time to get ready for their respective interviews. Most Aurors were already prepared for that, but the war against the latest Dark Lord had seriously disrupted the order of the Ministry. Annabelle Godson was just what the Department needed.

Annabelle was quite happy with Harry. She was happy with his work with so little training, and she'd bluntly asked him why he wasn't afraid of her; she'd laughed heartily when he told her that her brother was rather talkative when properly motivated, and he pointed out that he knew that they were granting each other access to selected memories because they were both Legilimens and Occlumens.

Right before freeing Harry, she'd told him to report directly to her every other day. For the moment, she wouldn't pair him with another Auror, because she wanted to see his detective instincts develop naturally. As a treat, she gave him a copy of the verdicts against Dolores Umbridge and Rita Skeeter – just _that_ would have been enough for Harry to consider his day as positively brilliant.

Harry took his lunch to the cafeteria and chatted with his new friends. Strangely, it was the odd Oof who was able to tell Harry where to find great selections of tea, and Harry ended up in a small shop after his shift. He joined Hermione for tea and shared with her what had happened to Umbridge and Skeeter (there would be permanent records about their crimes, and the fines were hefty).

Since Harry managed to sneak into the Room of Requirement with Draco that evening, it was really a great day.

Harry was even delighted for his protector, because Minerva was beginning to think that Alienora Ballo might well become their next Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher; the woman was competent, dedicated, pleasant and didn't seem about to get the job offer of her dreams for the good reason that the DADA job seemed to be her dream job. Harry met Ballo, and he was surprised that she was an Occlumens, but after being taught by Mad-Eye Moody, he understood.

.

.

Life became… Well, not _quiet_, but less chaotic for Harry.

He chased criminals, was trained by Annabelle in magical techniques and by James, who gave him Muggle police tips.

He managed to lull Ginny into believing that he wasn't angry with her and no longer distrustful, while dating Draco in secret.

Harry regularly visited Kate's shop – and the young Muggle was about to get a promotion, thanks to Harry, because the young Auror was now officially in charge of the modernization of the Department, and he was buying equipment exclusively from her shop. He was relaying Hermione's orders, too.

Kate was warming up to Harry, and not because he was such a good customer; in fact, his affair with Draco was giving him some unexpected stability and maturity.

The best thing for Harry before the end of the school year was that he was allowed by Annabelle to make sure that Mr Greengrass wouldn't bug his younger daughter. Harry went to the Greengrasses' and explained that Astoria was a witness in an important case, which wasn't a lie since she could technically testify against the young men who attacked her. Harry loathed Mr Greengrass, who didn't deserve the daughters he was given, but at least Astoria wouldn't have to fear being hexed by her father before she returned to Hogwarts's safety for her sixth year.

When the school year did end, a few things changed to some extent.

Professor Ballo, who was, to Deputy Headmaster Snape's relief, the next Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, moved into her future quarters and started planning her lessons immediately with dedicated enthusiasm.

Deputy Headmaster and Professor Snape went to their house, where Severus metamorphosed the whole place. Agatha Snape, who lived very close to their house, could come see them without needing to rely on the Floo Network, and now that the youngest Snapes were equipped with a Muggle mobile phone that worked with magic, the Grangers could phone them or be reached when they wanted to organize a family meeting.

The Snapes were delighted to have some family to visit and invite to their home, but they were mostly planning to spend the summer break together, in their house. Their friends would always be welcome, but none of them would ever drop by without an invitation.

The ones who were less shy about calling the Snapes were the Weasley twins; they always brought nice cakes when they needed to pick the Snapes' brains (and of course, Severus got dragged into the magical chats over tea).

Harry and Minerva always came with treats – usually Muggle magazines for Hermione and potions reviews for Severus.

Harry also came with Draco sometimes, and the Malfoys came as well. Narcissa was the one who insisted that they go thank Severus for helping them while Voldemort was still alive; in the end, even Lucius was impressed with the amount of magic in the Snapes' house, and he had to admit that Severus looked quite happy with his new life and his beautiful, gifted wife.

The one friend who had to be coaxed into visiting the Snapes was Tommy. Though coaxed isn't entirely accurate…

The second day that Severus and Hermione spent in their newly spell-improved house, Severus Apparated under the bridge where Tommy and Max were living.

'Oh, it's you, Mr Snape,' Tommy said when he focussed on the unexpected visitor.

'Good morning, Mr Peters,' Severus said.

'No one calls me that now. Call me Tommy, Sir,' he answered.

'Only if you call me Severus.'

'All right, then,' Tommy said.

'I'm here to invite you and Max to lunch,' Severus declared.

Tommy shook his head and said, 'No… I can't. Look, I'm grateful, but you don't have to be so nice, and you don't want me in your house.'

'It's just lunch,' Severus insisted.

Tommy shook his head again.

Severus chuckled and declared, 'My dear Thomas Peters, you don't want to have my beloved wife come to drag you home. She _would_, you know.'

'Give your sweet lady my respect, but I can't accept,' Tommy said determinedly.

Strangely, Severus grinned and Disapparated to the house.

Tommy was scratching Max's ears when Weniers appeared next to them.

'Hello, Sir! Don't be afraid, I work for the Severus and the Hermione,' she said.

Max sniffed Weniers and licked her cheek; she scratched Max's nose.

'Max likes you; that's enough for me,' Tommy said.

'The Hermione is sending me to take you to lunch. The Severus is advising you to accept the invitation now, or the Hermione will run here and drag you there,' Weniers said.

'Look at me, Miss; I can't go to their house!' Tommy protested.

Weniers flapped her ears with delight because Tommy was calling her "Miss". 'Oh, I can help the Tommy with that,' she said.

She snapped her fingers, and Tommy found himself all cleaned up and in clean clothes.

She held out her hand and said, 'The Hermione is very emotional, the Tommy can't break her heart.'

Tommy caved, took Weniers's hand and said, 'All right, Miss. The little lady's fine, isn't she?'

'My mistress is fine, but the pregnancy is changing her a bit,' she answered.

Weniers grabbed Max's collar and used her magic to take the two guests to the Snapes' house, where Severus welcomed Tommy with a Slytherin smile… right before Hermione almost rushed to him and started scolding him for being so hard to invite to lunch.

Much to the humans' surprise, Max and Crookshanks got along splendidly. Hermione admitted that she'd been a bit afraid that she'd have to rescue Tommy's dog from her cat, but the feline and canine encounter was uneventful.

They talked about trifles over lunch; they talked about their lives, too. Hermione was quite shocked that Father McKenzie had completely stopped helping Tommy.

'You two and Harry are helping me more than the minister ever did,' Tommy pointed out. 'And you don't have to,' he added.

'We're grateful,' Severus said quietly.

When Hermione went to the kitchen to bring back dessert, Severus said softly, 'Without your kindness, and in spite of Hermione's sacrifice, I might not have survived. Hermione knows it, but she doesn't want to acknowledge it. We'll keep helping you.'

'Tell you what; I'm glad the little lady's not a widow,' Tommy whispered.

Severus paled, remembering that she'd been ready to die rather than live a life without him. He didn't want to imagine how she'd have reacted if he hadn't survived after Lihar abducted them; he wanted to believe that Harry would have been able to save her, but now that he fully understood the strength and depth of her love for him, he doubted that she'd have survived for long.

'You saved my wife… Some dry food for Max and tins of food for you, that's not much,' Severus said.

'Well, thanks,' Tommy said.

Hermione came back and served dessert for Tommy and herself.

'You could do with a bit of dessert yourself,' Tommy told Severus as he accepted a plate with a nice slice of cake.

'I baked it, but I don't like sugar much,' Severus explained.

'Really?' Tommy asked.

Severus nodded.

'Well, don't go stuffing the lil' lady with your excellent cakes,' Tommy joked.

'I wouldn't,' Severus said softly.

'I eat more than during the war, but not too much,' Hermione declared.

'When will you have the baby?' Tommy asked.

'Roughly between Christmas and early January,' Severus answered.

'I hope it won't be too close to Sev's birthday,' Hermione pointed out, 'It'd be no fun.'

'We could always spoil the baby,' Severus declared.

'A child would be a great birthday present,' Tommy said.

'Silly boys,' Hermione said fondly.

They both smiled at her.

'Well, I'm very sorry, but I hope there'll be at least a week between the two,' she added.

'The problem is that we can't be sure. Pregnancies are all different… and we can't use magic on you,' Severus said.

'It'd be nice if I had the baby during the Yule break,' she said.

'You'll have… what do they call it again? Maternity leave, right?' Tommy asked.

'I could, but with potions, I'll be back to normal within a day. I'll go back to work straight away; witches and wizards who don't have Muggle relatives need help to deal with our world,' Hermione explained.

'You won't be back to normal, Hermione. You'll be a mum, and your hormones'll be playing tricks on you. You'll have to take good care of yourself!' Tommy protested.

Hermione was about to object, but Severus spoke first, 'Aunt Agatha would come help you with your classes until you're back on your feet.'

'We'll see, all right?' she said softly.

Severus nodded and told her, 'Whatever you want.'

Max put his head on Hermione's lap and looked at her with puppy eyes.

'What a comedian!' she exclaimed joyfully.

'He's a good baby,' Tommy said fondly.

'May I give him some cake?' Hermione asked Tommy.

'Yes, of course. My Max hasn't had any treats in a long time,' Tommy answered.

Hermione gave Max tiny bits of cake.

'Has the minister deserted the area?' Severus inquired softly.

Tommy shook his head.

'Not deaf,' Hermione growled. 'Has he just stopped helping everybody?' she inquired.

Tommy shook his head and said, 'Just Max and me.'

'Despicable slug!' Hermione hissed.

'Would you like me to hex him?' Severus deadpanned.

Hermione grinned and answered, 'He doesn't deserve one of your spells, and I'm sure he'll get what he deserves for being stupid.'

Severus chuckled. 'I'm sure the boy's obeying his awful mother, and she must be on the Curbys' side.'

'There are rumours about the Curby boy being sacked,' Tommy said.

'Policemen and Aurors must have worked together, and Curby was fired, indeed,' Severus declared.

'The best part is that he's being kept in jail with Dekoo and Lihar for the moment,' Hermione said with a chuckle.

'Why?' Tommy inquired.

Hermione and Severus looked at each other, and he let her tell the tale.

'Dekoo's the nurse who convinced Lihar to try to kill us, and Curby attacked us because we had no magic at the time. The Aurors, and a few Unspeakables I bet, are working in order to see if any of them is connected to whoever found my parents and undid my Memory-charm on them. For that, they've got to find the culprits first,' Hermione explained.

'You mean there are other people targeting you?' Tommy almost shouted.

Then, it was Severus who explained what Hermione had done in order to protect her parents, and how someone had located them, undone the spell and used Dark magic on them in an attempt to have them force Hermione to split and have her leave her husband.

'Nasty! Do your coppers have a lead?' Tommy asked.

'We haven't heard a thing, but they'll probably only contact us when they've made an arrest,' she answered.

'In the meantime, the other three idiots are rotting in jail, which is good,' Severus added coldly.

'Could they really have a hand in what was done to Hermione's parents?' Tommy asked.

'It's highly unlikely, but for once the fact that people at the Ministry don't like me and probably don't want to pay for two trials is having an interesting consequence for the three already in jail,' Severus explained.

'Is Harry the one working on your case? He's an officer of the law now,' Tommy said.

The Snapes traded looks again.

'We're not sure. We can't make up our mind if he's just protective because he likes us, or if he's been asked to keep an eye on us,' Hermione admitted.

'You said he's been arresting criminals left and right and inventing spells; I'm sure he's just worried about you. You fought together in a nasty war; that creates odd links,' Tommy declared.

The Snapes had to admit that the theory was sound, but Severus still wondered how Minister Shacklebolt modified the equation.

They chatted a bit more, and then Weniers offered to escort their guests back to their bridge. Right before Tommy left, Hermione coaxed him into accepting future invitations.

The instant Weniers arrived under the bridge, she noticed the magical addition; Tommy only saw a new tent.

'What's that?' Tommy asked.

'Either a gift or a trap. I can tell the Tommy which it is in a moment,' Weniers said. She cast a complicated spell and announced, 'It's a gift for you.'

'From the Snapes?' he inquired.

'No… it's elfish magic. I think one of my people wanted to thank you,' Weniers explained.

'A tent? Under a bridge?' Tommy said.

'It's a magical tent. There's a full house inside it,' she explained.

Tommy squeaked. 'I can't accept such a gift, Miss,' he protested.

'Why? Someone wants to thank you, and that way you and Max won't stay in the freezing weather in winter,' she pointed out.

Tommy was shaking his head, unable to believe what was happening. He whispered to no one in particular, 'We just kept them warm; that's all.'

Weniers gently took his hand and said, 'The Severus might have died, and the Hermione would have killed herself if he'd died again. The tent may look like a big gift, but it's only someone saying "thank you", you know.'

He squeezed her small hand. 'I don't have magic like you,' he pointed out.

'I can visit it with you and make sure you can use everything the Muggle way,' she suggested.

He nodded.

Hand in hand, Tommy and Weniers walked into the tent, followed by Max. There was just a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom, but it was cosy and really nice. Tommy felt like crying, but Weniers made him smile instead, and after a few spells, she declared that everything was all right.

She left him to enjoy his gift.

Once she Disapparated, Zarou followed suit. The young elf was delighted to see the Muggle accept the gift.

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[Next part as soon as possible]


	51. Chapter 51

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

FOR THIS PART: POTENTIAL TISSUE ALERT

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The one time the Snapes' holiday was somehow disrupted was when Minerva asked her Deputy Headmaster to hold the fort as she went to New Zealand with Harry.

Minerva and Harry both needed the break, and they had a lot of fun in very quiet locations where Milady and Nemesis enjoyed themselves, as well. The fact that Draco showed up where they were staying helped Harry relax even more.

In Hogwarts, Severus merely had to answer the post, as there was not a single problem during the headmistress's break.

Minerva and her protégé came home right on time for Harry's birthday, which was quite a happy gathering (even if not all the Weasleys came to the party). Their friends teased Harry and Minerva because she looked twenty years younger and Harry was tanned like a muffin.

Harry's friends teased him (Draco, who'd strangely avoided tanning by staying with Minerva in the shade, was the loudest), as did his colleagues when he went back to work after his "training" (thankfully, Auror Potter was forbidden to tell where the training had taken place).

The person who seemed to like it best was Kate. Harry was becoming her friend, and he'd taken her out a few times. The fact that Harry felt less clumsy, thanks to his casual affair with Draco, and now that Harry was eighteen, helped Kate feel more comfortable around him. In fact, Harry was so at ease with her that he mentioned Draco, and it was Harry's favourite IT-providing Muggle who helped him understand that their relationship was turning into something slightly more serious.

Harry and Kate had made their headquarters at the gay pub where Harry and Draco had ended up on their first date. It was not too far from Kate's shop, and she rather liked the place. The staff there knew Harry now, and they gently teased him by asking why he was with his fan instead of his boyfriend when he dropped by with Kate (usually Kate joined the teasing side because it was incredibly easy to make Harry blush).

'You're falling for him,' Kate said one evening in late August.

They were in a quiet corner of the gay pub, and Harry was shaking his head.

'There's nothing wrong with that, Muffin,' she teased him.

'It wouldn't work. It's just _something_ until he finds himself a nice witch,' Harry protested.

'Are you listening to yourself?' she growled.

'What do you mean?' he wondered.

'You're talking about this as if your boyfriend's using you like a toy, while he's waiting for a nice gal to cross his path. Perhaps it's just that, but what if your little game's turning into something more for _both_ of you?' she said.

Harry shook his head, in denial.

'Boys!' Kate sighed theatrically. She turned towards the bar and called, 'Pete!'

The barman walked to them and asked, 'What can I do for you, Sweetheart?'

'Harry's being stupid. Have you observed him with his boyfriend?' she inquired.

Pete nodded fervently and said, 'Awkward as hell in the beginning, but the cutest couple around when they're here.'

'Harry thinks that Drake's just waiting to find someone better,' Kate explained.

The barman snorted quite loudly and said, 'Yea, right, and I'm straight!' Then, he looked at Harry and added, 'Face it, Love, your pretty "it's just sex plan" just exploded to your faces. The sooner you admit it, the sooner you move in together and adopt a dog.'

Stunned, Harry mumbled, 'I've got a cat.'

'Good! You already have a pet, now start looking for a flat, because, kid, the way you're looking at each other, in my book, that spells love,' Pete declared.

'Ah!' Kate exclaimed, 'You see!'

'Will you be all right?' Pete asked Kate.

'Yarp! I'll kick Harry back on track. Thanks, mate!' she said.

'Anytime, Sweetheart,' Pete said before heading back behind the bar.

Harry was blinking, following a Morse code of his invention.

'It's not an issue, Harry. You don't have to look so stunned. It's great that you've found someone,' Kate encouraged him gently.

'That wasn't the plan,' Harry protested.

'Sometimes sex deals turn into something bigger. It happened to a friend of mine; she dated a bloke on holiday and they'd agreed that it'd be just for that fortnight, but they kept in touch, and three years later, they got married. Now, what's bothering you about Drake? Is it children?' she said.

'No… I don't care… It's just that I feel as if I'm not keeping my word by having these feelings for him, and I don't know what to do,' he admitted.

'You know what you should do?' she asked.

He shook his head.

She smiled with warmth and friendship and said, 'Go talk to him. You're the ones who need to sort this out.'

'What if he doesn't want me for longer?' Harry asked.

'Then I'll be here to cheer you up,' she said.

'Promise?' he asked with a small voice.

She gave him a blinding smile and nodded fervently. 'Go see him,' she said.

'Now?' he squeaked.

'There's no point in torturing yourself,' she pointed out.

He nodded and stood up.

'Keep me posted!' she said.

'I will,' he promised.

He pecked her cheek and went out to Disapparate from a quiet lane.

Harry went to the Malfoys', but Eefys told him that the family was having dinner at the Snapes'.

'Oh,' Harry said miserably.

'Auror Potter must Apparate there. Young Master Malfoy will be delighted to see you,' the Malfoy house-elf said.

'Do you really think so?' Harry inquired.

Eefys chuckled and said, 'Everybody says that Auror Potter is becoming a very good Auror, but Auror Potter's heart is making him blind when it comes to my youngest master.'

'Really?' Harry asked.

Eefys nodded so fervently that Harry almost got sea sick.

That was how Auror Harry Potter found himself knocking on the Snapes' door, after thanking Eefys.

Hermione opened the door and greeted her best friend. 'What brings you here?' she asked after half-strangling him in a hug.

'Erm… I wanted to see Draco, but perhaps I should send him an owl,' Harry mumbled.

Hermione walked outside and closed the door behind her. 'What's going on?' she demanded.

'You're scary when you use that tone,' he pointed out.

'Good. Answer me,' she insisted.

'It's just that Kate helped me realize that my feelings for him are changing, and I'd like to know if he wants me to move to China and never see me again, or if he doesn't find the idea of a Potter potentially in love with him too repulsive,' he explained.

'Really? You're falling for him?' she said.

'I… I think I might, yea,' he admitted.

'All right, I'll send him to you, and you can go have dinner somewhere together. I'll stop the parents, but send me an owl when you've got an answer,' she said.

Properly flabbergasted by his friend's reaction, Harry merely nodded numbly, and he didn't move as Hermione walked back inside, shouted at Draco to come instantly, and she opened the door again and shoved Draco into Harry's arms.

'Harry's got something important to ask you, so you go have dinner together,' Hermione told Draco.

'Eh?' Draco said.

'That's an order!' Hermione growled.

Harry and Draco felt the wave of magic from her; they instinctively held hands and Disapparated together to London.

Severus, who'd felt the magic coming from his wife, Apparated right next to her. 'Is your magic back?' he asked.

'What?' she said.

'I felt your magic,' he explained.

She tried to cast a spell, but it failed. 'It's not back yet. Harry and Draco annoyed me. By the way, I sent them away together, because Harry's fallen in love with Draco, and he wants to know how Draco feels about it,' she said.

'Narcissa won't mind,' Severus stated.

'But Lucius might need a doctor,' she added.

'Why would I?' Lucius inquired, as he joined them on the threshold.

'Let's go back to the garden. There's something we need to tell you about Draco,' Hermione told him.

Lucius stood straight and glared at Hermione as he barked, 'What?'

Another wave of magic came from Hermione, and Lucius flinched.

'Do as you're told,' Severus smirked.

The three of them went back to the backyard garden, where Narcissa sighed when she saw them, before asking, 'What's going on?'

Lucius sat next to his wife; Severus claimed his spot in front of them, and Hermione sat on Severus's lap. Lucius noticed that Mrs Snape settled on Severus's left, leaving his wand hand free.

Hermione looked at Narcissa and just said, 'Harry and Draco.'

'Oh! Really?' Narcissa asked.

'What?' Lucius growled.

Narcissa turned to her husband and said, 'Our son and Harry are seeing each other; surely, you noticed.'

'I had suspicions after a week with Potter around for breakfast,' Lucius said.

'Well, if they agree, you might have to get used to having Harry around on a more permanent basis,' Narcissa explained.

'So now the question is, will I have to hex you?' Hermione asked.

They all observed Lucius as he took the piece of news in.

Finally, Lucius Malfoy smiled and said, 'Times are changing; having a very rich Auror who's from good families would be good… and if Draco loves him, that's all that matters.'

Narcissa chuckled, and the Snapes grinned. Lucius only wanted his son to be happy.

.

.

As they Apparated to a quiet Muggle street, Draco turned to his boyfriend and asked, 'Did something happen?'

'Yea… sort of… I was having a drink with Kate, and she made me realize something, and I'm not sure you're going to like it,' Harry explained.

Draco, being uncharacteristically paranoid about the whole situation and about his place in Harry's heart, thought that Harry was dumping him for Kate. He paled dreadfully, but bravely said, 'Look, if you love her, I'll be happy for you.'

Harry blinked. 'No! You got it all wrong! It's you… you I…' he mumbled.

As fast as Draco had paled, he blushed, his cheek turning to healthy red. 'Oh,' he said.

'I'm sorry. It wasn't what we'd planned, but I like being with you, and since the Ginny debacle, I haven't been trying to date any witch. I still like Kate, but if given the choice, I'd spend my time with you; it's got to mean that my feelings changed. I thought you had to know, and if you want me to get out of your life, I'll understand,' Harry told him very quickly.

'Take a breath, idiot!' Draco said with his trademark smirk. 'I think I've got the same problem.'

'Really?' Harry said.

Draco nodded.

'What do we do now?' Harry wondered.

'We talk,' Draco said. 'Let's go to my room.'

'Bad idea,' Harry pointed out.

'All right! The kitchen then. Anyway, I could do with a spot of dinner,' Draco said.

'I could eat a dragon,' Harry told him.

They checked that they were alone and Disapparated to Malfoy Manor.

Draco asked Eefys to make them sandwiches, and the young men went on the terrace.

'What now?' Harry asked nervously.

'Perhaps… I think… Perhaps we should try to imagine how things would be if we were together for good,' Draco said.

Harry nodded and added, 'We could start by just changing the way we refer to what we have.'

'One step at a time,' Draco said softly.

Harry nodded again.

They had a quiet dinner, and much later, they heard Draco's parents Apparate back home. Harry tensed, but Draco took his hand.

Narcissa just smiled at them, and Lucius was very civil to Harry.

Once his parents left, Draco said, 'See, they're not hexing.'

'It's… nice,' Harry admitted.

'I know you're working tomorrow, but are you on duty on Saturday?' Draco asked.

'Nothing on my Auror schedule. Why?' Harry said.

'I've got to go shopping for my Hogwarts supplies, and I'd feel safer with my own Auror around,' Draco declared.

'I'm not your Auror, Malfoy!' Harry said, chuckling.

'Yes, you are!' Draco said.

Harry laughed and kissed Draco. 'All right, I'll go with you,' he agreed.

'And where will you sleep tonight?' Draco asked.

'At Hogwarts,' Harry said. Draco looked terribly disappointed, and Harry went on, 'But you're welcome to come with me. I've got to send a couple of owls.'

'Owls?' Draco said.

'Severus will hex me if I don't keep Hermione posted, and I think Kate deserves flowers,' Harry explained.

'Yellow roses, and I'm buying them,' Draco said.

Harry smiled and asked, 'Why don't you pack a few things to keep in my room?'

Draco's bag was packed at the speed of light, and they Floo'ed to Hogwarts.

Nemesis was sent to the Snapes, and a school owl was sent to order flowers for Kate, who received the friendship roses at work, delivered the Muggle way, on Friday morning.

Harry, who mostly had bumph to fill out that day, was grinning all day, and his cheerfulness made his colleagues smile, too (even though they didn't know why he was so happy).

Minerva and the Malfoys wanted to have a chat with Harry and Draco, but the young men escaped the "talk" by going to one of Harry's houses. They met their guardian and parents on Saturday morning, had breakfast together at the Leaky Cauldron, and went to Diagon Alley.

Draco had bought half of what he'd need for school when it happened.

One of the oldest spells was cast, summoning all people present to the entrance of the Ministry.

Mr Greengrass was there with his wife and daughters; Astoria looked paler than a shroud.

'If he managed to have access to my files, I'll throw him in jail,' Harry whispered to Draco.

Draco took Harry's hand in his; that alone, since they were among the Wizarding community and they'd never showed their attraction for each other, told Harry that things were bad for Astoria.

Uncannily, Annabelle Godson appeared right behind Harry. 'He gave his daughter Veritaserum. Snape's going to be properly furious,' she told her youngest Auror.

'What was the spell he used to call us?' Harry asked his boss.

Annabelle opened her mouth, but Draco spoke first, 'He's going to disown her officially. In five minutes, she'll be homeless, penniless and alone in this world.'

'I won't let that happen. I promised her that she'd be safe,' Harry said as he took a step towards the Greengrasses.

A firm hand on his shoulder stopped him; it was Severus, who was there, shopping with Hermione.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was behind them, trembling with rage because he was powerless.

'You're an Auror, Harry; you can't stop a father from disowning his daughter if he wants. It's still legal,' Annabelle explained.

'But she could be adopted, or I could give her money and protect her,' Harry said.

'No… I'm sorry,' Annabelle told him.

'The only thing that could help her is if someone marries her on the spot after she's disowned,' Minerva explained.

Harry opened his mouth to ask what kind of marriage they were talking about. If he could divorce her on Monday morning without having to touch her, he'd do it – and he'd give her half his colossal fortune. He didn't care; he'd promise to protect Astoria.

'No one from the Ministry can help,' Kingsley said.

Severus whispered into Harry's ears, 'To be valid, it'd have to be an almost unbreakable bond.'

Harry whimpered, and Severus squeezed his shoulder.

'Can _we_ do something?' Hermione asked Kingsley.

'You work for the Ministry, Professor Snape,' he answered sadly.

Mr Greengrass saw that he'd gathered the audience he wanted. He cast a Sonorus charm on himself and declared, 'My youngest daughter disgraced herself. As is my right, I disown her. From this moment on, I only have one daughter.'

Then Mr Greengrass proceeded to cast a spell on Astoria. The young witch kept paling, but she remained very quiet and didn't shed a single tear.

The place was completely silent, even young children, who were there with their parents, kept quiet.

It was Hermione who broke the silence, 'How can you do that to your child?'

'She lost her purity when she was attacked,' Mrs Greengrass replied haughtily.

'I think I'll express the feelings of all the decent people here by saying "bitch", though that's an insult to dogs in your case,' Hermione said.

Severus could see the shimmer of the Unspeakables who were protecting his wife, and he didn't move when Hermione walked to the Greengrasses.

She walked straight to Mr Greengrass, who aimed his wand at her and said, 'Filthy Mudblood!'

'You know, you miserable excuse of a father, you can't hex me, but I can do this,' Hermione said, right before kicking him where it really hurts.

Mrs Greengrass and Daphne rushed to him, and they Disapparated together.

The witnesses to this sad event began to leave; there was nothing they could do.

Astoria took one step, and then another.

'She's thinking about diving into the Thames, Minister! We've got to do something!' Severus said.

Kingsley looked on the verge of tears. 'There's nothing any of us can do,' he sighed.

Harry was the only one who heard Draco murmur, 'I can protect her.'

Harry, for the last time, squeezed Draco's hand and let it go; it felt as if someone was aiming the Cruciatus at his heart and he felt as if he couldn't breathe.

But Draco was saving an innocent they'd both promised to protect when he declared loudly, 'Astoria's mine now.'

As pale as his wife-to-be, Draco walked to her and held his hand out; she knew that if she took his hand, they'd be instantly married, and there would be no divorce – not before at least two decades.

'No…' she wailed.

'Astoria, I'm not letting you kill yourself. Take my hand,' Draco pleaded.

The tears that Astoria kept in were rolling freely down the young man's cheeks.

'We'll have years of courtship. We have time. Don't be afraid; I swear that I'll protect you, and I'll _never_ hurt you,' Draco said.

Astoria caved and took his hand.

Harry Disapparated on the spot. He'd lost Draco forever.

'Ricky!' Annabelle called.

One of her former colleagues revealed himself.

'Say, Love, launch the good guys after Greengrass. If he makes me lose Potter, the loss of his nuts will be the least of his problems,' she said.

'No problem, Bellissima. I'll have Taxes and every possible department check his activities back to when he was in his mother's womb,' Ricky said.

'Have them check that he's not abusing his only remaining daughter,' Kingsley added.

'Yes, Minister,' Ricky said before leaving.

Annabelle, Kingsley and Minerva decided to go to Annabelle's office, where she kept a bottle of ancient whiskey for days like this one.

Lucius and Narcissa went to welcome their daughter. They were proud of Draco, but they felt terrible for him and Harry; there was nothing to prevent the two young men from keeping seeing each other, but the Malfoys knew that neither Draco, nor Harry would do such a thing to Astoria Malfoy. Narcissa was thinking about the things she could do to make Mrs Greengrass and her awfully stupid daughter's lives miserable, while Lucius was counting the number of investments he and Greengrass had in common, and how he could ruin that man (Lucius was quite flabbergasted, but he felt terrible for Harry – and if Harry's heart was broken, Draco's was as well). The Greengrasses didn't stand a chance.

Severus walked to his wife and said, 'Let's go to the Emergency department; it's high time I got a patent on Veritaserum.'

'Can you?' she asked.

'Potions masters' privilege; I can do that retroactively on one potion in my entire career,' he explained.

'Did you see Harry's face? It broke my heart!' she said.

Severus took her in his arms and kissed her brow. He didn't know what to say.

'Where do you think he went?' she asked.

'Somewhere he can cry,' he answered. 'If he's not back at Hogwarts tonight, I'll go look for him.'

She smiled gratefully.

The four Malfoys went home; they needed to have the house-elf prepare quarters for Astoria. Once the shock wore off, Draco promised his wife that he'd never touch her until _she_ was ready, and if she found their alliance distasteful, he said that he'd let her find a companion more to her inclination and he'd never say a word.

Lucius and Narcissa had left their son and daughter alone for a moment, and Astoria asked Draco, 'Would you hate me if I ended up liking you, and maybe more?'

He shook his head.

'You've lost Harry because of me,' she whispered.

'If it's anyone's fault, it's your father's, and anyway, we're together now,' he said.

She collapsed and sobbed uncontrollably. Draco was whispering some nonsense in her ear when their parents came back; Lucius didn't say a thing about his son's tears, but within the hour, Healer Fille had come to give potions to the young couple. Astoria was properly knocked out, and Draco was given something to help him not collapse and have a breakdown.

In a few days, the Malfoys would have to go back to Diagon Alley to finish the Hogwarts shopping, for two this time.

.

.

Harry's instincts took him to a friend, to Kate.

When she saw him enter the shop, she gasped and ran to him, asking, 'Did someone die?'

He shook his head. He wanted to explain everything, but he could only mumble "Draco" before he started sobbing.

Kate's colleagues knew Harry, and they told her to take as long as she'd need.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	52. Chapter 52

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Kate went to her place with Harry; she knew that they needed some quiet and privacy. There, Harry explained everything.

'It's over. Because of Greengrass, I've lost Draco… Draco did what I couldn't do, and I'm not blaming him, but…' Harry said, his voice trailing off.

'But you were planning to move in with him,' Kate said.

Harry nodded and hid his tears by soaking Kate's blouse as he held her tight.

Kate hugged him back. 'I'm really sorry, Harry. You can stay here for a bit if you want,' she told him.

He sniffed, none too discreetly, and looked at her as he said, 'They'll be expecting you at the store.'

'I can take today off… besides, Pete owes me big time and he can cover for me, and I meant you can stay with me a few days if you need to be away from Hogwarts,' she explained.

Harry dried his tears and tilted his head as he observed her.

'I'm not hitting on you, Harry. I know most of you guys recover within minutes after a break, but I think we both know that boat sailed away between the moment we met, your deal with Draco and your birthday. We're friends now. Just friends… and as your friend, I'm offering you my sofa,' she explained.

'Really?' he squeaked with a small voice.

She nodded fervently.

'But there's Milady and Nemesis,' he objected.

'Bring them here if you want. I'm not allergic,' she answered.

'Really?' he said.

She just glared at him. He took his wand and called a house-elf; Kreacher was the one who answered, and within minutes, the house-elf brought back a travel bag with a change of clothes and his mobile and laptop, and Harry's kitten and everything she might need.

'Where's the owl? Is he flying here?' Kate asked Kreacher.

'No, Miss Kate. Nemesis is doing a few things for his chosen master,' Kreacher explained with a scary grin.

'How's Minerva?' Kate inquired next.

'Fuming, and you know what it does to a Scottish lady,' Kreacher answered.

'She doesn't mind that I'm fleeing for a bit?' Harry asked.

Kreacher looked at Harry and gently said, 'She understands. She wants what's best for you, and she loves you.'

Harry nodded numbly.

'You need time, Harry Potter,' Kreacher told him.

'What he said,' Kate added as she rubbed Harry's back.

Harry took a deep breath and nodded.

Kreacher left after Harry promised to send a magical flare if he needed anything – even _just_ a lump of sugar at three in the morning.

Kate proceeded to cheer Harry up. The rest of Saturday was rather miserable, but after a surprise visit from Healer Fille, Harry slept soundly and Sunday started looking a tad less gloomy. Kate dragged Harry out for brunch, and then she asked him to Apparate them anywhere to the coast in the south, and they spent the rest of the day there.

On Monday morning, since she wasn't working, Kate walked Harry to the Ministry, and she spent her day there, in the cafeteria, with a good book, waiting for Harry to be done with work. The Minister for Magic and Harry's boss were so happy that Harry hadn't quit that they hopped by the cafeteria and were very, very nice to Kate. Most of Harry's colleagues had felt the odd tension, and even if they didn't know why Harry felt miserable, they were happy that Kate was helping her, and their, friend.

Harry stayed over a week with Kate, and then he headed back to Minerva and to Hogwarts. He planned his return during dinnertime because he didn't want to meet anyone.

Once he'd put his things back where they belonged, he found a tray with dinner waiting for him in the parlour; the house-elves knew that he was back, and they were taking care of him.

Harry sat down, helped Milady jump onto his lap, and he began eating. He knew that he needed to keep eating, sleeping, working, but he felt extremely lost and sad. He'd hoped to settle down and have a relatively quiet life, but only his career was on the path he'd dreamt now; his love life was rather down the drain for the moment.

Harry didn't hear the door open. Hermione walked to him and hugged him.

'Hermione!' Harry exclaimed as he manoeuvred to hug her back.

'Good thing your owl came to visit us to let us know that you were still in one piece,' she said.

'I'm very sorry. Everything was too much, and I didn't want to make _you_ sad. Kate had to cuff me several times,' Harry admitted.

'I'm really glad you went to her. I hear she's really nice,' she told him.

'She's a friend,' Harry said.

'Severus and I would have protected you, too,' she pointed out.

'I know, sweetie, but you've got your husband now. I didn't want to drag you two into my problems,' he said. Before she could protest, he went on and asked, 'How are the Malfoys?'

'The whole lot, or just the one?' she inquired.

'The whole lot. Particularly Astoria,' he asked.

'Lucius's been aiming at the investments of Greengrass, and Narcissa's already managed to ruin the social lives of the mother and daughter. Healer Fille had to be called a few times, for Astoria and Draco, but they're… adapting,' she told him.

'She's bright. He'll come to love her,' he said softly. In a whisper, he added, 'It was the right thing to do.'

Hermione was looking for something to say, something to cheer up her best friend.

'How did you know that I'm back here?' Harry wondered.

'School starts next week, Harry, and my husband's the Deputy Head. We're back to our quarters in the dungeons. And, in fact… I bribed the house-elves,' she said.

He blinked a few times and said, 'I focussed so much on work that I hadn't realized the students will be back so soon.'

'We understand, you know,' she reassured him.

'Kate kept me afloat, but I was a zombie at work until two days ago,' he confessed.

'Your work was more than impeccable,' she stated.

'How do you know?' he wondered.

'Kingsley and Annabelle were _very_ worried, and they kept an eye on you just to make sure that no one could pretend that your work was bad and take any action against you. Annabelle's quite happy with your results under pressure,' she explained.

'Hermione…' his voice trailed off.

'Yes, Harry,' she said softly.

'It's going to sound awful, but what happened that day hurt me so much, it…' his voice trailed off again, and he looked at the floor, as he took to caressing Milady, who was licking her paws with care.

'It hurt more than anything that happened in the war?' she suggested.

He looked at her, and in her eyes, he only saw understanding.

'I could do something for Severus,' she murmured.

'Draco's still alive,' Harry pointed out.

'And married to someone who's not you,' she added.

This time, he was the one to initiate a hug.

'Our plan to just spend some time together backfired spectacularly. I really don't know how I'll react the next time I see him,' Harry admitted.

'He's still your friend,' she declared.

Hermione noticed the strange light in Harry's eyes, but she let it pass without commenting then.

'Say… how's your Baby Snape?' Harry asked as he looked at her belly.

'She's absolutely fine. Dyann, Poppy and Agatha are delighted that I put on a bit of weight; Mum's just smiling. Severus's working with Dyann and Poppy in order to research pregnancy-friendly potions, which hasn't been really done until now,' she answered.

'Really? That's mad!' Harry exclaimed.

'Dyann told me that there's something – no one knows what exactly, and it's never been studied properly – that seems to be protecting pregnant witches. Basically, if a pregnant witch is given a potion that could be harmful to her or the baby, something happens to protect her. Given that most of the Healers, who are mostly men, thought that it wasn't a problem to give whatever potion they had to pregnant witches, since their magic would counter any and all bad effects, no one worked on potions specifically brewed for pregnant witches until now,' she told him.

'That's barmy! I'm glad Severus's putting his nose into that!' Harry said.

She smiled. 'Will you come have tea with me?' she inquired.

'Yes, but… I need to stop by the gardens first,' he said.

'Do you want to go there alone?' she asked shyly.

He shook his head and said, 'It's okay. I just need to send Mrs Malfoy a yellow rose; I don't want them to think that I no longer want to see them. It's just too soon.'

She smiled and hugged him again.

Harry placed his kitten on the sofa, where she settled to sleep. He took Hermione's hand, and they went to the garden together.

They found a rosebush with yellow flowers, and Harry called Nemesis before cutting one of them; he handed it to his owl and told him to take it to Astoria. He knew that the youngest Malfoys would understand his message.

Harry went to spend a moment with Hermione and Severus. Severus knew how to push Harry's buttons, and the older man managed to cheer Harry up.

Harry left the Snapes to go see Minerva, who was working at her desk.

'I'm sorry,' Harry said as he briefly hugged her.

'You needed a break, Harry,' she told him.

Harry spotted something in her eyes, and he asked, 'What?'

'I had house-elves keeping an eye on you while you were out with Kate,' she admitted.

'I didn't spot a thing,' he admitted, blinking.

'They make good spies, and you weren't expecting that,' she pointed out.

'I was pretty much stunned, but I might well be Auror material because I _always_ checked Kate's place,' Harry said.

Minerva smiled and told him, 'Elfish magic is special, and of course you're a good Auror. There might be something in your blood, but everything that happened to you here and during the war trained you to be an Auror.'

'Yea… Giant snakes and cunning Slytherins will do that to a poor Gryffindor,' he joked.

Minerva chuckled at that.

'All right, I'd better go to bed. I'm on the trail of a gang of burglars; it's going to be hellish because they're targeting Muggles and I'll have to wrap up the case with the Met,' he said.

'Muggle Aurors, right?' she said.

He nodded fervently.

'Harry…' her voice trailed off.

He gave her a small smile and said, 'I'll recover.'

'With time, I know you will, but I want you to know that I'd understand it if you decide to move to London,' she explained.

He paled and shook his head. 'No… I'll stay here for a bit more… even if I don't know how I'll react the next time I see Draco,' he admitted.

She might not be an Auror, but she'd been a teacher for many, many years and she could tell when something was off. She thought about the whole situation and came up with the only plausible explanation to Harry's return to Hogwarts.

'I can ask Kingsley to assign someone else to Hermione's protection,' she said.

'No, Min… I've got to do it. I already feel bad for not being here when they returned to their quarters. There's still at least one person working in the shadows to hurt the Snapes. I want to protect them,' he told her.

She understood that it was his duty as an Auror, as a friend, and he wanted to protect the Snapes' love.

Auror Potter resumed his Hogwarts spying to protect the Snapes.

.

.

Days went by, and Harry arrested bad Wizarding people by day and kept an eye on his friends when he got home.

Imminently, the Hogwarts students would be heading back to school, and that worried Hermione for Harry. Severus was sent to have a chat with the younger man.

'Do you need something?' Harry inquired when he saw Severus walk into Minerva's parlour.

'Hermione thinks that you should see Draco and Astoria before they arrive here, and I agree with her,' Severus said.

Harry sighed and asked, 'What should I do, Floo to them for dinner? I can't… it still hurts, Sev.'

Severus handed Harry a phial of potion and said, 'I know what Healer Fille's giving Draco and Astoria. This will help you face them; don't be mistaken, you'll still feel like using a combination of the Unforgivables on Greengrass for disowning his younger daughter, but you'll be able to see them.'

Harry looked at his friend and whispered, 'Would you go with me?'

Severus almost gasped because, right then, Harry looked like a lost child. He nodded.

Severus Fire-called the Malfoys to warn them, and Harry and he Floo'ed to Malfoy Manor for a quick visit.

Lucius and Narcissa had already adapted to the change of situation, but Astoria was still in shock after her father's rejection, and Draco felt lost in a life that was the product of an unexpected twist of fate.

They all had tea in the main parlour. Astoria excused herself to go finish packing her Hogwarts trunk, and Draco announced that he'd go help her.

'I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry,' Harry whispered.

'Nonsense! Now you can keep on healing, and you don't have to face the entire school,' Lucius pointed out.

Harry nodded numbly.

'How are you, Harry?' Narcissa inquired very gently.

Harry looked at her and started sobbing. She rushed to him and tried to soothe him.

'Why didn't you give him some potion?' Lucius hissed at Severus.

'I did!' Severus hissed back.

Lucius blinked a few times; Healer Fille had explained what all the Soothing potions could do, and if Harry was crying in spite of one of Severus's (probably best) potions, then it meant that his heart was really broken… as was Draco's, in fact.

'If you'll excuse me, I've got to go and try to finish ruining that idiot Greengrass,' Lucius told Severus.

'By all means, Malfoy,' he answered.

Harry was in Narcissa's arms, crying the seven seas and trying to apologize for his breakdown.

'Shush, Dear… I understand,' she told Harry in a gentle whisper.

He looked at her, the witch who might have become his mother-in-law if…

'I know,' she said as she hugged him tight.

Harry held her and murmured, 'Love them for me.' Then, he kissed her cheek and walked to the fireplace where he took some Floo powder and went back to Hogwarts.

'I'll call Dyann,' Severus said.

'No… Let him cry tonight. He needs it,' she told him.

Severus agreed with her and followed Harry to Hogwarts.

Harry did feel a tad better after crying for a rather long time, and when he saw the younger Malfoys in the Great Hall again the next day, it hurt a bit less.

During the Sorting, Harry observed the students. There was nothing worth noticing; even Ginny's thoughts were rather neutral.

Harry kept an eye on Astoria, but her fellows were particularly supportive. He reflected that the three of them were beginning to heal and adapt to the unexpected change.

After dinner, Harry went to see his old Gryffindor friends. Ginny was there, and things were a bit awkward between them.

'You didn't come to see us this summer,' she told him when the others gave them some privacy.

'Work was a bit mad, you know. You could have owled me,' he answered.

She shrugged and added, 'I thought you didn't want to see me.'

Harry felt physically tired and emotionally exhausted, and therefore he asked her, 'Ginny, what are your feelings about the Snapes now?'

She gasped, but recovered quickly and answered, 'I don't understand what she sees in him, but I no longer care. Now that the war is over, I want to sit for my NEWTs and find a nice job.'

'Where's Ron?' he asked.

'Working with dragons. He hasn't been home in weeks,' she said.

'Are you two done trying to hurt the Snapes?' he went on.

'What do you mean?' she said.

'You told Ron where the Grangers were,' he stated.

She paled, but explained, 'I never suspected it'd go so far. Give me Veritaserum if you doubt me.'

'No need,' he said.

'So, it's true that you can read minds,' she told him.

'I'm an Auror who can read people,' he declared.

'Then you know I'm here to become a certified witch,' she said.

What he could see in her mind confirmed her declaration, but that still left Ron on the list of suspects.

'So… Can we be friends again?' she asked.

He nodded; it was wiser to keep her close for the moment. 'Work's mad, but we can probably do things together during the weekends,' he said.

She smiled. He bade her goodnight and went patrolling.

Meeting Severus was no real surprise, but Harry found Luna in the Astronomy Tower.

'Are you all right?' he asked gently.

She turned towards him, smiling and said, 'Of course, Harry. I came here to listen to the stars.'

Harry grinned; Luna was quite unique and being with her made Harry feel better instantly.

'What are they saying?' he asked.

She turned back towards the sky and said, 'They're telling us that everything's going to be all right.'

In the dark, she took Harry's hand, and he gently squeezed her fingers.

They stayed together, watching the stars, for some time.

'You're going to catch a cold, Sweetie. I'll escort you back to your house,' he whispered.

Hand in hand, Harry walked Luna to her house door.

The few minutes he'd spent with Luna had cheered him up more than he thought possible; he'd definitely cultivate her friendship.

The positive Luna effect was exactly what Harry needed when he got the _Daily Prophet_ the next day. The front page was about his suspicious friendship with a Muggle called Kate Mann, who the paper alleged to be his lover and the crook with whom he'd associated in order to force the Ministry to buy Muggle appliances at high prices.

Harry rushed to the Ministry for a chat with his boss and with the Minister, and neither was happy to start their day in such a way.

When Annabelle and Harry reached Kate's flat, it was surrounded by owls and other kinds of birds that were waiting to deliver Howlers. Kate was absolutely furious, but Annabelle promised her that she'd make sure that there would be no more birds.

Annabelle and Harry were at the offices of the _Daily Prophet_ when Harry got a call from Kate. This time, she was making a fine impression of a volcano because there had been so many birds at the store, and so many Wizarding people who came to insult her that she'd been asked to leave for good.

'Go to our pub, Kate. I'll meet you there, and I'll help you,' he told her.

"_Oh, no! I've had enough of your magic_!" she yelled before hanging up.

The _Daily Prophet_ owner had heard everything and was smirking, probably thinking of his next headline.

'All right, enough's enough! Take down notes you worthless worm. If I lost that friend for good because of you, I'll move abroad. For the moment, I'm done protecting your sorry lot,' Harry said as he took his temporary Auror badge from his pocket.

Harry held out his hand and his badge to his boss.

'Are you sure you want to surrender _that_ badge?' she asked.

Harry was furious, but he looked at it and saw that it was a permanent one. 'I'm an Auror?' he said incredulously.

The _Daily Prophet_ owner snorted, and with one wave of her hand, Annabelle petrified him.

'Full status, Harry,' she told him.

He looked at the badge, caressed it, and sighed as he held it out to Annabelle. Much to his surprise, she grinned.

'What?' he inquired.

'You can't let go of that badge… at least, not until we've made things right for your Muggle friend,' she said.

'I can't, Annabelle,' he protested.

'As long as you've got that badge, you're one of my Aurors,' she said stubbornly.

It was then that Harry realized that the badge was glued to his hand by magic.

He opened his mouth to protest, but Annabelle spoke first, 'Give me two hours. Just two hours.'

Harry agreed, completely convinced that she wouldn't be able to make things better. He was in for a very important lesson.

'Remember, Auror Potter… _Everything_ within the frame of the Law,' she declared.

Then… she wrote a note about the newspaper's owner who'd been harassing an officer of the law and she shipped him by Portkey to the Ministry jail to be arrested and incarcerated. She went with Harry to Kate's place, and she ordered the young Muggle to show her where she'd been working; there, she Memory-charmed the whole staff (because what they'd seen qualified as a magical incident), and she called four Auror teams who went looking for the Wizarding people who'd come to harass Kate because she was Harry's friend.

Still dizzy with Annabelle's spell, Kate's boss allowed her to go to lunch early, and for as long as she'd like. Annabelle, Kate and Harry ended up at the Leaky Cauldron.

Annabelle, who'd been using Legilimency on Kate, knew that the young woman had been afraid about her future when she'd yelled at Harry.

'Look, we know that you didn't mean what you told Harry, and you were perfectly right to be angry, but Harry's as much a victim as you were,' Annabelle began to say.

'Oh, stop it! I was scared, and if Harry's a real friend, he knows it was the fear talking. It's rather tough being a girl in this world, and finding a job's always tricky,' Kate said.

'I understand, and I wouldn't have let you down, you know,' Harry intervened.

'What were you planning?' Kate asked.

'I would have found you, and I'd have started a Muggle business with you. You're my friend,' he said.

Kate cooed and hugged him.

'How do you feel about a second job, Miss Mann?' Annabelle inquired.

'What?' Kate said.

'Harry was ready to quit his job, even though I've just made him an Auror with full status. I've been working at the Ministry for decades, and we don't get officers of the law this good that often. In fact, the last time there was someone as good, her name was Auror Lily Potter. I can't afford to lose Harry, and I'll do everything I can legally do to keep him in my department. Now, Miss Mann, we need to show our fellow wizards and witches that we need you, too. I'd like you to come train my Aurors in computers and everything we'll need to know to adapt,' Annabelle said.

'I'd like to extend the invitation for the rest of the Ministry,' Kingsley said as he sat down next to Annabelle.

'Minister!' Harry squeaked.

'Have you been smoking something, you two?' Kate snorted. She turned to Harry and added, 'And you're my stupidest friend if you meant to quit. I thought you had brains and were used to the idiots.'

'I dragged you into that madness!' Harry protested.

Kate merely glared at him, which made him blush.

'I can't speak for my colleague, but I'm perfectly all right, my dear Miss Mann, and I'd like you to seriously consider becoming the Ministry's IT trainer,' Kingsley declared.

Annabelle playfully elbowed her boss.

A waitress arrived, took their orders, and the group managed to convince Kate to start working for the Ministry – for fun, and to annoy the Wizarding people who needed to grow a brain.

'Can you take your fake badge now?' Harry asked Annabelle when their order arrived.

'It's not a fake one. It's your badge, and it'll stop being glued to your hand the moment you acknowledge it,' Annabelle declared.

'I thought it was a trick!' Harry replied.

Annabelle looked at Kate and said, 'You're not under contract with us until you sign an official parchment, so would you cuff Harry for me?'

Kate grinned and cuffed her friend lightly.

'What did I tell you in the newspapers' offices?' Annabelle growled at Harry.

'Basically to pay attention and to do everything within the frame of the Law,' Harry answered.

'And in spite of that, you think I lied about making you an Auror with a full status?' she went on.

Harry looked at his badge and finally felt the special spell in it. Right then, it stopped being glued to his hand.

Harry grinned like the Cheshire-Cat and said, 'I'm buying lunch!'

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	53. Chapter 53

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

Harry's friends just grinned back; he looked ready to laugh out loud or start sobbing.

Lunch was particularly joyful.

Annabelle headed back to the Ministry with Harry, but Kingsley went to see Kate's boss in order to order more computers and to negotiate a day off for Kate so she could come and teach the Ministry's civil servants how to use them.

If Kate's boss was delighted about the sales, he was hard to convince, and it was only when Kingsley's secretary, John, arrived, that he managed to trick the shop owner into freeing Kate one day a week for a few months.

John announced that he'd come back with the appropriate paperwork the next day. He and Kingsley walked back to the Leaky Cauldron together.

'You were astounding!' Kingsley praised him.

John smiled and said, 'Well, I'm an only child, but my parents have many, many siblings, and we all live in the same place. You should see the negotiations on Sundays to get the best dessert. Convincing my gran's an art!'

Without thinking, Kingsley said, 'I'd like that.'

They froze on the spot and looked at each other.

'Really?' John practically squeaked.

Kingsley gulped, but nodded.

John took a deep breath and said, 'All right. Drinks after work, first, though… and in a Muggle place! I'm not Miss Mann, who can't hex, or Auror Potter, who's way too nice for his own good. If I spot the shadow of a quill-pusher, you'll have to bail me out.'

Kingsley snorted, which made John tilt his head. 'I can ask old friends to make sure no one sees you,' Kingsley explained.

John was still blinking when a disembodied voice declared, 'And we'd happily do that.'

The Unspeakable bodyguards were on the side of the possible ministerial couple.

They all went back to the Ministry.

.

.

For a few days, everything was _somewhat_ normal.

Kingsley and John started dating, and they managed to keep it secret.

Harry was kept busy at work, which helped him heal.

Draco and Astoria were drowning in homework and assignments, and their working together helped them become friends and bond.

Deputy Headmaster Snape had a lot of work, but even the double charge of work and his having a family life now were quiet when compared with his spying days. As well, now that he was Deputy Head, he had access to more of the spells that protected Hogwarts, and it eased his load. Professor Snape was using her laptop and phone to gather information, and the students loved her lessons; as well, they knew how precious and vulnerable she was, and they were all quite protective.

Then, things got strange one Saturday after lunch. Minerva and her staff had agreed to allow the students to have an earlier than usual Hogsmeade weekend, and the students were leaving the school at the speed of the average Disapparition.

Harry was planning to read a book outside (he was off duty, and the Snapes had announced that they'd go spend the afternoon with Agatha Snape). He was leaving the Great Hall with the Snapes when Severus's pocket started whistling like a kettle.

'The Contact coin!' Hermione exclaimed.

Severus took it from his pocket and looked at it, uncertain what to do.

'Something must have happened to Max! Tommy would never use it for him. You've got to go see them!' she told him.

Severus turned to Harry, but the Auror spoke first, 'Don't worry. I'll stay with her.'

'No, you won't; you're going with Sev. I've got the feeling that there's something odd going on, and I'll be here, protected,' she said.

Severus and Harry knew that when she was like that, there was nothing to do, but obey.

'Floo to London and Apparate to the bridge?' Harry suggested.

Severus nodded, and they ran to the nearest fireplace.

Hermione was smiling as she quietly walked to their quarters to wait for her husband. When she noticed Luna in the corridor, in Slytherin territory, she wondered what was going on, but when she saw her friend start pointing a wand at her, she panicked.

.

.

Harry and Severus Apparated right next to the bridge.

Tommy was holding Max, next to their magical tent. The poor dog looked in a terrible state.

'He ate something that was left outside, and now he's dying. I'm sorry to disturb you,' Tommy almost sobbed.

In synch, Severus cast a spell on the poor dog in order to assess what was going on.

'I'll go get Albert,' Harry said as he Disapparated to Godson.

Severus went to Tommy and Max, crouched and petted the dog.

'I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do,' Tommy said.

'It's all right. You know how sad Hermione would have been if you hadn't used the coin. Harry's going to come back with a vet,' Severus told him.

'But… I won't be able to pay him… or her,' Tommy was saying as Albert and Harry arrived.

'Don't worry,' Albert said, as he rushed to Max.

Tommy, Harry and Severus watched as Albert stabilized Max.

Tommy was sobbing, and Harry took the older man's hand.

'Is there anything we can do to help?' Severus asked Albert.

'Quite! You're going to help this poor dog's owner to go to my surgery,' Albert said.

'Shall I help you with Max?' Harry inquired.

'No, you'll be going to your boss, my dear sister, because that poor dog was poisoned with a potion, and I want an inquiry,' Albert growled.

'I could help you with Max and go see my boss afterwards,' Harry said.

'I'm all right, Auror Potter,' Albert answered.

'Titles, eh? You've got to be really angry,' Harry said, before Disapparating to the Ministry.

'Let's go!' Albert said.

Humans and dog went to the surgery.

Albert managed to save Max, and he gave him enough potions and vitamins and dog treats to make sure that Max would be healthy for a few more years. Then, they all went to the Ministry, and straight to Annabelle's office.

The Head Auror welcomed Tommy and Max warmly. They were having tea when Umbridge walked in.

'Oh, hell!' Harry sighed.

'What's going on here?' Umbridge asked.

'Are you a sniffer-dog or something?' Annabelle growled coldly.

'I heard that an inquiry was to be made on some destitute Muggle and his dog,' Umbridge spat.

'How do you already know about that?' Harry asked.

'The Auror board. The case's already written there,' Umbridge snorted.

Annabelle looked at Harry, who said, 'I send my cases there with a spell.'

'Invented another one, did you?' Severus said with a gentle chuckle.

Harry smiled, and Umbridge huffed. 'Why should you inquire on who poisoned that mutt?' she inquired haughtily.

Annabelle looked at her brother, who was fuming, and then turned to the _pink toad_, saying, 'Why not?'

'What do you mean "why not"?'

'Just that. Why not? The dog belongs to a man who helped the Snapes, and there might be some connection. Since Professor Hermione Snape is still under the protection of the Ministry, it would probably be a good idea to check who attempted to poison that poor dog,' Annabelle said quite loudly. Umbridge was about to turn, fuming, and leave, when Annabelle added in a whisper, 'And you don't want me to let my brother hex you for being heartless. I love him so much that I'd probably help him.'

Umbridge squeaked and ran back to her office, her desk, and her awful collection of plates with cats.

'Will Max really be all right?' Annabelle asked her brother, who nodded.

'Did you save samples to analyze?' Harry inquired.

Albert opened his mouth to answer when Weniers appeared into the room.

'The Severus mustn't panic. The Hermione is all right,' she said.

'What do you mean?' Severus hissed as he stood up.

They all imitated Severus, and Max growled, for good measure.

Weniers sighed and said, 'The Minerva knew there was something odd. She sent me because no Aurors were coming to investigate.'

'What happened?' Severus hissed coldly.

Weniers began to explain.

.

.

When Hermione noticed Luna in the corridor, she began to feel that there was something odd, and when Luna pointed her wand at her, her blood froze (just one spell and she's lose the baby). If Luna was under the Imperius, Hermione hoped that her friend would be strong enough to fight it off.

Hermione was ready to beg, but Luna spoke first. 'Duck!' she instructed.

Hermione obeyed, and then three spells were cast.

Fourth-year Maria, the girl Severus had rescued from Carrow, cast one that made sure that Hermione wouldn't get hurt on the stone floor.

Ginevra cast a powerful Memory-charm towards Hermione, but it was countered by the simple mirror that Luna made appear between Hermione and Ginevra.

Ginevra was properly knocked-out, and Luna and Maria rushed to Hermione; she'd just ducked as instructed by Luna, but Maria had made the floor so soft that Hermione was then lying on a part of the floor that was softer than a water mattress.

Hermione looked at the two students, tried to stand up, failed, and began to laugh uncontrollably.

A dozen house-elves arrived; half of them bound the unconscious Ginevra and took her to the hospital wing, and the other half ran to help Hermione up. The oldest elf sent a special message to all the house-elves working at Hogwarts, and a few of them went to see Minerva to inform her of the attack.

The Headmistress met Hermione, Luna and Maria on the stairs as the trio was going to see Poppy Pomfrey. Maria wanted to make sure that her Muggle Studies teacher was unharmed, and the other two wanted to know how Ginny was.

Minerva hugged Hermione.

'I'm fine. Don't worry. Maria and Luna protected me,' Hermione said, as she hugged her boss back.

'I know that some of the Weasleys can be quite strange, but I wonder what possessed Ginevra!' Minerva exclaimed.

'Maria's convinced that Ginny wasn't in her normal state,' Luna explained.

'Let's go see Poppy, and Miss Montovanni will tell us everything,' Minerva declared.

The trio nodded; Maria looked ready to faint, and the others thought that she might need Poppy's help.

The school was beginning to buzz with the odd piece of news that Ginny Weasley had attacked Professor Snape when the group reached the hospital.

It turned out that Ginny was fine, but didn't have a clue about who she was or anything; her Memory-charm had been quite powerful. What Poppy found odd was that Ginny no longer knew anything about her life, but she still knew her spells and how to cook or where to find the best orchard near her home.

'I waited for you to call her parents,' Poppy told Minerva as she examined Hermione without magic.

'I'll let you Fire-call them once you're done with Hermione. I want to hold the fort,' Minerva said.

'Thanks to Luna and Maria, I'm fine, you know,' Hermione declared brightly. She looked at the youngest student and added, 'You should give Maria some Pepper-up potion, or something; she keeps paling.'

'There, you're perfectly fine, _indeed_,' Poppy conceded.

The Mediwitch was turning towards Maria when the student burst into tears.

'What's wrong?' Minerva, Poppy and Hermione inquired at the same time.

'She must have been afraid that the magic of her spell might have done something to Professor Snape,' Luna explained quietly.

'It's only a spell aimed at me that could hurt me, and you prevented that from happening,' Hermione told her student.

Poppy summoned a bottle of Pepper-up potion and gave Maria some.

Right then the new DADA teacher ran in. 'Is everybody all right?' Alienora Ballo inquired.

'Apart from Ginny, who no longer knows who she is, yes, they are,' Minerva said.

'Merlin be praised!' Alienora sighed with relief. 'What a pitiful Defence teacher I make!' she added.

'My dear Alienora, you couldn't guess that someone would attack Hermione right here, in Hogwarts,' Minerva pointed out.

Alienora sighed again.

'How did you know that Ginny was about to attack me?' Hermione asked Maria.

'It wasn't her fault. I was in an empty classroom because I wanted to work on a few essays, and I didn't want my mates to drag me to Hogsmeade. I heard Ginny and someone else,' Maria began to say.

'Who?' Alienora asked.

'That's the weird part, because I thought it was Professor Snape, but when that person took her wand, hexed Ginny and gave her instructions to attack the real Professor Snape, I knew something weird was going on,' Maria said.

'Polyjuice,' Hermione whispered.

Alienora and Poppy nodded.

'I wanted to see where the fake professor was going, but stopping Ginny was more important,' Maria added.

'She met me, and we worked together,' Luna said.

'You did well,' Minerva praised them.

'Have you given them points already?' Alienora inquired.

'Not yet,' Minerva said.

'May I?' Alienora went on.

Minerva nodded.

'Then, fifty points for Ravenclaw, and I think a hundred for Hufflepuff would be fair,' Alienora said.

Maria blushed crimson.

'That brings Hufflepuff in first position, Slytherin second, and Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tie in third. The Slytherins will have to work hard to catch up,' Hermione said.

'You were a _Gryffindor_, my dear Professor Snape!' Alienora pointed out.

'Yes, but I married a Slythe… Oh, Merlin! Severus's going to have a heart attack! Weniers!' Hermione called.

The house-elf arrived instantly. 'I'm sorry, the Hermione… I can't find the culprit. That person must be using Goblin magic, or something,' she explained.

'Never mind that. I'd like you to go tell Severus that I'm fine. Will you?' Hermione asked.

Weniers nodded.

'As well, the place should be swarming with Aurors, and it's not normal,' Minerva added.

Weniers bowed and went to her chosen master, to whom she gave a quick summary of the situation.

Severus, Harry and Annabelle Floo'ed to Hogwarts, while Albert escorted Tommy and Max back to their tent under the bridge.

Severus rushed to his wife, who crushed him in a hug and said, 'I'm fine. Maria and Luna protected me.'

'Was Weasley really unwilling to hex you?' Severus asked.

Maria nodded fervently.

'Is there no hope of restoring Weasley's memory?' Annabelle asked Poppy.

'Erm… if I may…' Ginny said from her bed. They all turned to her, and she went on, 'If my state is any indication, the spell I was made to cast was meant to deprive its target of personal memories, but not anything else.'

'When's your next Defence test?' Alienora asked.

'On Tuesday morning,' Ginny answered.

'How many siblings do you have?' Hermione asked her.

Ginny blinked. 'I… don't know. I could tell you how to make a dozen complicated potions, but I can't remember a single thing about my family… if I have one,' she said.

'Merlin! I don't want to be the one to tell Molly!' Annabelle exclaimed.

'Thanks, Belle! That's my job, and I should probably be Floo'ing to her parents',' Poppy said, sighing.

'I'm really sorry to be such a bother,' Ginny said.

Poppy gave her a small smile, looked at Minerva, who nodded, and she walked to the fireplace.

'Do you remember us?' Hermione asked Ginny.

'Not at all, I'm sorry,' Ginny said.

'Not even me?' Harry inquired.

Ginny looked at him, tilted her head and asked, 'What's so special about you?'

Strangely, Harry was delighted to hear that. Now that he no longer had feelings for her, the Memory-charm on Ginny would make his life easier; he felt bad for thinking that, but it made things simpler.

'Nothing. I was just wondering since we went to school together,' Harry lied.

'I…' Maria whispered.

'What, Maria?' Severus asked gently.

'I don't understand why she was hexed to cast that kind of spell. Any spell would have hurt Professor Snape, even a charm to tickle her,' Maria explained.

'It was to… hurt me. Hermione would have lost our baby, and she'd have forgotten everything about us,' Severus explained. He'd been about to admit that it'd have killed him, but walls had ears, and they still didn't know who was behind the attack.

Maria gasped.

'You protected us,' Hermione told her student.

Maria looked at Severus and whispered, 'I had to.'

Severus nodded once.

'Max must have been poisoned to make you leave Hermione's side. It's a nasty plan, and without Maria and Luna, things would have turned awful,' Harry said.

Hermione gasped, but Severus put his hand on her shoulder and said, 'He'll be fine. Harry took Albert to his side, and Max's going to be all right.'

'Thank Merlin!' Hermione sighed.

'Start your investigation,' Annabelle told Harry.

Harry nodded.

'Is there anything I can do?' Alienora inquired.

'You can help me make sure that Miss Weasley won't be hurt,' Annabelle said.

'But she doesn't know who made her attack Professor Snape,' Maria said.

'There's a very faint chance that Ginny might remember a few details when her parents cast a Healing charm on her. It hasn't been an hour since she lost her memory,' Luna explained.

'Excellent, Miss Lovegood,' Alienora praised the student.

'I don't remember reading that,' Ginny said.

'Well, I hope it works; I'll go patrol the corridors,' Harry declared.

Luna followed him, and no one stopped her or said anything.

'Perhaps we could keep Maria with us this afternoon,' Hermione suggested.

'We need to thank her,' Severus told Minerva. The fact that he was smiling like some creature who'd smoked something not entirely legal told her that there was something out of the ordinary going on, and she smiled back and nodded once.

Before Maria could protest, the Snapes took her hands and led her away as Hermione said, 'I don't want to have to deal with Molly in my state. We'll be back for dinner.'

Molly, Arthur and Poppy Floo'ed in just as Hermione closed the door.

'You don't have to thank me,' Maria protested.

'You're in danger, Miss Montovanni,' Severus explained.

'Oh… but I saw the person who hexed Ginny as she, or he, was transformed into Professor Snape!' Maria said.

'Yes, but since you saw someone Polyjuiced into me and who was still able to cast powerful spells, it means that we're dealing with someone who had access to something from me before I was attacked,' Hermione pointed out.

'This means that you might know more than you think, and it endangers you,' Severus added.

Maria paled a bit.

'Don't worry, we're going to tell you how to protect yourself,' Hermione promised.

They went to the closest fireplace and Floo'ed to Agatha Snape.

.

.

'Why are you following me, Luna?' Harry asked his friend.

'There's danger around,' she answered.

Harry smiled and said, 'I'm an Auror, Sweetie.'

'Yes, but you aren't partnered yet, and you're going to need help,' she said softly.

'Do you really think that someone's going to attack me here?' Harry asked.

'If there are clues that could lead you to the real culprit, of course,' Luna answered quietly as if it were the most common thing to say.

'Show me where you stopped the attack,' Harry told her.

Luna guided him to that spot. Harry looked around.

'If the fake Hermione wanted to observe the hexing, the best spot would have been right behind Ginny,' he stated. 'Perhaps there are traces,' he added.

As he walked towards the place he wanted to observe, he felt Luna turn around. She cast a Shielding spell right when a charm was sent past them; it generated a magical fire when it hit the area that Harry wanted to investigate.

Instinctively, Harry knew that he could work on putting out the charm; Luna might just be a student, but she'd fought with him in the war, and she could be fierce. Right then, he was an Auror, but he was also trusting a friend to have his back.

Luna managed to stun a sixth-year, but Harry couldn't save a single thing from the charm.

Harry sighed; he just knew that the student wouldn't remember anything, and he was probably hexed like Ginny. Harry made sure that there was no one else around, and he turned to Luna.

'You're a great friend,' he told her.

'No… there's nothing great about me. I'm just your friend, and I knew I could help,' she said.

He cast a Privacy charm around them and said, 'Give me your wand, Luna.'

She surrendered it instantly.

'I'm not arresting you, but I need to do something to your wand in order to protect you,' he explained.

'You need to clean my wand so whoever's behind all this can't have me sent to jail,' she said.

Harry blinked.

'I'm not stupid,' she said very softly.

'I _know_! I was just thinking that you'd make a great Auror,' Harry told her.

She smiled, but shook her head.

'You've got good instincts,' he went on.

'Thanks, but I just want quiet,' she declared.

He winked and nodded. 'Now, I've got to make your wand forget that last spell you cast,' he said.

'It can't be Memory-charmed or cleaned. You'd need a Time-spell to do it,' she pointed out.

Harry looked at her and started grinning; he'd just had the maddest idea.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	54. Chapter 54

[Notes, disclaimer and everything in chapter 1 – do read that]

.

'I think I know how to erase the latest spells, but it might be dangerous for your wand,' he said.

'Don't worry, if you burn it, I can either heal it, or make a new one,' she said.

'Oh! You're going to work with Ollivander!' he exclaimed.

She grinned.

'That's a great idea!' he said merrily.

Luna beamed quietly. Harry chuckled and aimed his wand at Luna's; he cast a new combination of spells.

'Right… Your wand didn't explode, so that's a good thing, but now I need to check that I got it right,' he pointed out.

Luna observed Harry's work, and she told him, 'You did it, but it wasn't exactly a Time spell, was it?'

'Not entirely. I used something that I discovered on my computer, in fact,' he explained.

'I'd like to know more about computers,' she said dreamily.

'It'd be odd to ask Hermione to tutor you, but if you want, I can show you how mine works. I could even introduce you to Kate. I'm just a beginner, but she's an expert, and I'm sure she'd like you,' he said.

'That'd be nice. Meeting your friend, and learning from you; you're a good teacher, Auror Potter,' she said with one of her odd smiles.

Harry felt himself blushing.

He was saved when Luna inquired, 'What computerish thing did you do to my wand?'

'There's a feature that allows a computer to be restored at a prior moment. I discovered that because I made a mistake and I needed to find a way to undo my mistake,' he explained.

'You should probably Memory-charm me if you want to use your new spell again and not have attorneys pretending that you can tamper with wands,' she stated calmly.

'No,' he said firmly. 'It was a one-time thing to avoid Umbridge, or any of her minions, making me drown in tons of bumph, and I trust you, Luna.'

She beamed, and he blushed again, because she looked at if she deeply approved of him, without judging him, and was still a faithful friend – he wasn't used to that kind of friendship.

'All right, let's take the student you stunned back to Poppy. Perhaps he can tell us who hexed him, though I've got the feeling he's going to say it was someone who looked like Hermione,' he said.

'Probably,' she agreed.

.

.

When they reached the hospital, Arthur and Molly Weasley had arrived. They'd tried to heal their daughter, but the Memory-charm she'd cast at Hermione was just too good. Ginevra would have to learn everything about herself and her family again.

Poppy saw the bound student that Harry was making float, and she realized that there had been another attack. Before she could say a single thing, Molly had spotted Luna, and she was walking towards her.

'You! It's because of you that my baby doesn't recognize me!' Molly yelled at Luna.

Harry placed himself between his friend and Molly; he knew that winning a fight against the woman who'd won a duel against Bellatrix would be tricky, but it was his duty to protect Luna.

'Erm…' Ginevra intervened loudly. 'She did what was right to protect Professor Snape, and I'm glad that she was able to stop me,' she said.

Molly froze and swirled back towards her daughter.

'The one who hexed _our_ Ginny's the one who's really guilty, Molly,' Arthur added.

'Quite! That's the one I want to hex, not my schoolmate,' Ginevra said.

Molly walked back to her daughter and hugged her as if the world were about to end.

'Oomph! Bit emotional, are we?' Ginevra exhaled with what little air was left in her lungs.

'Get used to it,' Harry declared, as he surrendered the stunned student to Poppy's care.

'What happened?' Annabelle asked Harry, as she pointed a finger towards the student.

'Oh, he destroyed the scene of the attack, but he might have been hexed like Ginny,' Harry explained.

'Oi! It's _Ginevra_. I'm not a baby!' the young witch protested.

Harry blinked, and Molly squeaked, but Arthur beamed at his only daughter.

Ginevra disentangled herself from her mother and got up.

'You can't get up!' Molly protested.

'Er… _Mum_… I'm Memory-charmed, not about to die,' Ginevra protested.

'She's got a point,' Harry agreed.

Ginevra looked at Harry and said, 'You knew me well, didn't you?'

'Oh!' Molly almost sobbed.

'We met the day Ron, that's the brother just before you, and I took the Hogwarts Express for the first time,' Harry answered.

'Then, why don't I remember you?' Ginevra inquired.

Everybody was rather ill-at-ease, but Arthur came to Harry's rescue by saying, 'Harry spent so much time with Ron that he was like a cousin to you.'

'Thanks, Arthur, but someone's going to tell her the truth eventually,' Harry pointed out.

'Hexed by someone looking like Hermione Snape. Bill can tell us nothing about the person who made him cast a spell to burn everything down in the corridor,' Poppy interrupted them briefly.

'Thanks!' Annabelle said.

Poppy turned back to Bill Edler and gave him some Pepper-up potion, and Luna sat down on a bed, listening to the exchange.

'So, why don't I remember Auror Potter?' Ginevra inquired.

'You were so in love with him, even before you went to Hogwarts that you were tongue-tied the first times he came home,' Arthur explained.

'We were hoping that you'd get married one day,' Molly added.

Ginevra turned to Harry, who added, 'We dated briefly, but being with me made you a prime target for Voldemort, and I left you.'

'You wanted to save me,' Ginevra declared.

Harry nodded, but he didn't know what to say next.

'Why didn't you come back after the war?' Ginevra asked Harry, who flinched.

Everybody looked embarrassed.

'What happened?' Ginevra demanded to know.

'I wanted to go back to you, but when Hermione almost died to bring Severus back to life, Ron blew a fuse, and you picked his side,' Harry explained.

'It's odd, because I remember that what Professor Snape did is extremely rare, dangerous, and shows the depth of her love. I can't imagine why I didn't praise her,' Ginevra said.

'We'll never know now,' Harry said softly.

'Perhaps you could…' Molly began to say.

'No… the girl I was right after the war managed to annihilate Auror Potter's feelings for her,' Ginevra countered her.

'You've got very sure instincts. You could become an Auror trainee next year,' Annabelle said.

Ginevra chuckled and said, 'Thanks, Ma'am, but next year, I'll try to become a professional Quidditch player.'

'But Harry…' Molly began to say.

Ginevra interrupted her and said, 'He'll be a friend if he can forget how petty I was to Professor Snape.'

Harry smiled and nodded.

'That's too dangerous a profession. You should choose something else!' Molly declared.

Ginevra glared at her mum, who took a step back. 'What do you think I should do?'

'I don't know. Whatever you want. I just don't want you to be in danger,' Molly said.

'That's very kind of you, but I could die of a Tares'h infection if I got a papyrus-cut in Egypt,' Ginevra began to say. She paused, blinked, and added, 'How do I know that?'

'Your eldest brother, Bill, once worked in Egypt, and we visited him a few years ago. You must remember _that_,' Arthur answered.

'That's quite odd to remember facts from Egypt without remembering the trip itself,' Ginevra said.

'You'll have to be told your own story,' Harry told her.

'I'm sure Headmistress McGonagall can order measures to allow family visits,' Alienora said gently.

'And when do I learn who I am? At night? This is my NEWTs year. I can catch up over the breaks,' Ginevra growled.

Alienora was surprised, and Molly looked utterly disappointed.

'We can owl you,' Arthur added.

Ginevra pointed a finger at her father and said, 'Now, _that_ works.'

'If you'll excuse me, I'm going to need to record the testimonies of Ginevra, Luna and Bill. I'll catch Maria when she's back,' Harry declared.

'You may borrow my office if you'd like, Auror Potter,' Minerva said very ceremoniously.

Harry was very tempted to giggle, but he managed to keep a straight face as he said, 'Thank you, Headmistress McGonagall.'

Minerva nodded solemnly.

Harry turned to the three students and said, 'If you will… I promise to be as quick as possible.'

Bill and Luna were already walking towards the door. Ginevra pecked Molly and Arthur's cheeks, promised to keep in touch, even if she had to get their address from the headmistress, and she caught up with her mates.

'Report to me in the morning,' Annabelle told Harry, who nodded.

Harry heard Minerva inviting Annabelle, the Weasleys, Alienora and Poppy to share a cup of tea as he closed the door.

Ginevra whistled and told Harry, 'Thanks for getting me out, Auror Potter!'

'Look, Ginevra, you can use my name,' Harry said.

'That's really sweet of you. I think you're a nice boy, and the old me must have been really awful if I put the pieces of the puzzle back together correctly,' she said.

'That version of you no longer exists, and whatever made you snap back then seems to be gone. We were friends – just friends – once, and I don't see why we couldn't be again,' Harry told her.

Bill cooed at that. He realized what he'd done and said hastily, 'Sorry 'bout that. I'm not meself.'

'I know,' Harry said.

Ginevra smiled and said, 'Fine with me, Auror Potter.'

'Are we, and by that I mean, am I in trouble?' Bill asked nervously.

'Absolutely not, but I need an official statement for my files,' Harry declared.

They reached Minerva's office, and Harry made sure that no one could eavesdrop on them.

'You need more than our statements,' Ginevra said.

'Of course, he needs us to restart Dumbledore's Army. To find the spy and help protect Hermione,' Luna stated.

Harry nodded solemnly.

'Oh, Merlin!' Bill wailed.

.

.

By the time the Snapes and Maria came back, Luna was organizing some secret training (and all volunteers had to agree to take Veritaserum, which Ginevra had offered to brew by cauldrons, before each and every training session in order to make sure that no one had been hexed into betraying them).

Harry was pretending to work on his report with his laptop at the High table when his friends and Maria entered the Great Hall.

The Snapes walked Maria to the Hufflepuff table. The young girl looked as flabbergasted as if Severus had shared with her some secret about the universe; this alone made Harry pay closer attention to the trio, and he noticed that Hermione looked particularly tired. When Harry observed her a bit more, he noticed that she was holding hands with Severus, which was something she avoided doing in front of students as much as possible.

Those tenuous clues told Harry that there was something going on.

He didn't have much time to analyse the situation because Dolores Umbridge barged in, and aimed her wand at Hermione; she cast on her a theoretically harmless Levitation charm, and then she targeted Maria, but before she could cast a spell to deprive the young student of her magic, Umbridge was hit with enough Stunning spells to paralyze her for weeks if the counter-spells weren't cast on her.

With his wand, Harry secured the area around the Snapes, and with his free hand, he cast a spell that made Alienora trip on her robes because he'd heard her say the beginning of the Killing curse while aiming at Umbridge.

The entire Hall seemed to be in shock, but Harry ran to his friends. Hermione was still floating an inch above the floor, and Severus was still holding her hand.

Harry took a good look at Hermione and said, 'Well, I guess you know how to end that spell.'

_Hermione_ cast the counter-spell on herself.

'Your magic's back!' a student exclaimed joyfully.

'No… this is not Professor Snape,' Harry pointed out.

'I knew something would happen, and Hermione agreed. She's in our quarters with an army of house-elves,' Severus explained.

Harry sighed with relief. For one moment, he'd feared that he'd failed to protect Hermione and the baby – again. He looked at Severus and asked, 'Polyjuice?'

'Hermione's old batch,' Severus admitted.

'Perhaps we should head to your quarters with Harry,' _Maria_ suggested.

Harry looked at _Maria_ and asked, 'Mrs Granger?'

'No, Agatha Snape. Severus told me I've got more magical particles than Hermione's mum,' she explained.

Harry smiled and said, 'Allow me to take care of Dolores dearest first, and then I'll join you.'

Severus nodded once.

"Sev?" Harry projected a thought at his friend.

"What?" he answered.

"Ballo's behind all this. Keep an eye on her," Harry explained.

Severus didn't say or think another word, but Harry was astounded that Severus wasn't hexing Alienora to the lowest circles of hell. Making sure that Hermione was safe must be more important than anything.

.

.

While Harry escorted Umbridge to the Ministry's Infirmary, where she was patched up and given Veritaserum, Agatha and Maria transformed back in the Snapes' quarters, where a dozen house-elves were guarding Hermione.

While Harry made sure that no one would kill Umbridge, by having her sent to a Muggle cell in James's police station in secret, the three Snapes and Maria were sharing dinner in the dungeons. Harry Floo'ed in, between pudding and cheese.

'So?' Severus asked Harry.

'Umbridge was under the Imperius, and she swears it was Hermione who cast it,' he answered.

'How do you know Ballo's behind this?' Hermione inquired.

Harry flicked his fingers, looking for Secrecy spells.

'Don't worry, they all cast so many spells that it's astounding we can even hear what we're saying,' Agatha told him.

Harry grinned at that and answered Hermione's question, 'She tried to kill Umbridge. Why kill her when she could just stop her? I bet she'll try to say that she was very emotional and wanted to prove that she's a good Defence teacher, but I'm sure she tried to get rid of an associate who'd just failed to complete her mission.'

'Logical,' Severus said.

'But why is she so horrible?' Maria inquired innocently.

'Why do you think?' Hermione asked the student.

'A test?' Maria squeaked.

Hermione nodded and smiled.

'Well, maybe she doesn't like Deputy Headmaster Snape, or she doesn't like you, Professor Snape,' Maria said.

'Go on,' Severus encouraged her.

'I… I think she might not like you both. By hurting Professor Snape, she'd hurt you both,' Maria said.

'Without your help, Umbridge might well have succeeded,' Hermione declared, which chilled the atmosphere.

'I'm glad I could help protect you, Ma'am,' Maria said, on the verge of tears.

'I wonder how it was possible. Unspeakables are supposed to be with us at all times,' Severus growled.

An Unspeakable revealed herself. 'You're right, Sir. It looks as if our Department received contradictory orders,' she said.

'That Umbridge?' Agatha wondered.

'No, Ma'am, she's not high enough in the Ministry to change our orders,' the Unspeakable explained.

'What, then?' Harry inquired.

'A technicality. Annabelle complained that our Internal Archives were too easy to misuse,' she said.

'So, a red-tape adept could have caused a glitch that sent all the Unspeakables away while Umbridge was attacking Hermione,' Harry said.

'That's awful!' Maria exclaimed.

'The Minister's secretary is changing things, with Weasley's help,' the Unspeakable said.

'Mr Weasley was always nice,' Hermione said fondly.

'Speaking of that lot… Are you all right with the new Ginevra?' Severus asked Harry.

'She's a nice girl, who's not mad about me or mad at you. I think she could be a friend again,' he answered calmly.

'I hope you find yourself someone nice soon,' Agatha said.

Harry shrugged and said, 'We'll see what happens.'

'What did you ask Weasley, Lovegood and Edler to do for you? You didn't need to see them in secret,' the Unspeakable asked with curiosity.

Harry grinned, and his wide smile made his eyes look somewhat greener, and he said, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

Only the students were to know about the re-activation of Dumbledore's Army.

The Unspeakable smiled, winked and made herself invisible again.

'All right. What do we do about Ballo?' Hermione inquired.

.

[Next part as soon as possible]


	55. Chapter 55

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm reposting this because I like things to be clear and clean, but this is the last of Drusilla Dax (congratulations on the silence).

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'We keep an eye on her, and we keep her close,' Severus declared.

'Very close,' Harry added.

That was a very good plan, but... Nothing happened.

There was no other attempt against Hermione or the ones who'd protected her. There was even no attack on Umbridge, who had to be convinced to stop saying that she was a witch in order to be allowed to stay in Muggle protective custody (the only place where she was really safe).

Most of the older students were involved in the new Dumbledore's Army. Their additional training made their grades better, but they had nothing, and no one, to fight.

Harry kept an eye on his friends, and he kept on improving as an Auror; sometimes he was working on simple cases, and he also had to deal with a few crimes that were direct consequences of the war.

Draco and Astoria were becoming good friends, and that made Harry happy for them.

Life at Hogwarts was really quiet. Dreadfully quiet.

Minerva had been brought into the confidence about Alienora Ballo, and she was quite angry, but she never gave Alienora any clue that she knew she was a mole and a traitor.

The Snapes were working and getting ready to become parents. Hermione knew that she was protected, she had her husband loving her and taking care of her, she had loving relatives and great friends; all that made up for the fact that she now felt like a beached whale.

There was a major surprise during the Yule break because the new Ginevra was quite different from the young witch she'd been, and she read her mother and Ron the Riot Act for having been deeply unfair to the Snapes. Molly was getting over the fact that Hermione would never be one of her daughters-in-law, and Ron had had time to cool down (it's astounding what being chased by an angry dragon will do to you when it comes to re-assessing your life and your choices and your actions).

For Christmas, Ron sent a huge bouquet to the Snapes; it was a peace offering, a wish for their bonding and a Yule present.

That was how Ron, chaperoned by his little sister, ended up being invited to tea at the Snapes' house between Christmas and New Year. The four Malfoys were there, with Agatha Snape and the Grangers. Nemesis was perched on Harry's shoulder and glaring at the silly red hair.

Ginevra elbowed her brother in a way that had to be painful.

He whined, but looked at Hermione and said, 'I'm sorry, but you know how stupidly I can react. I'd been completely blind, and when I realized that I'd lost you to... to Deputy Headmaster Snape, I blew a massive fuse.'

'You passed info about them to someone,' Harry said coldly.

'No!' Ron protested.

Both Severus and Harry instantly used Legilimency on Ron, and they saw that he wasn't lying.

'How is it possible?' Severus asked Harry.

'He can't lie. I gave him some Veritaserum,' Ginevra pointed out.

'Not again!' Ron sighed.

'We know he's telling the truth, Ginevra,' Harry said.

'If so, it means that Ginevra's been used for much longer than we thought, and she relayed info to someone who pretended to be Ron, or who made her think that,' Hermione pointed out.

'Probably the one who located the Grangers in Australia,' Narcissa added.

'And the Memory-charm on me prevents Harry from ever finding any kind of clue in my head,' Ginevra growled.

'Whoever was twisted enough to do that wouldn't have left anything for Harry, or anyone, to find,' Ron pointed out.

'We all know who's behind this,' Hermione said calmly.

'But we don't know why,' her dad added.

'You know who wants to hurt Hermione?' Ron asked.

'Her family and Harry know. The civilians are in the dark,' Ginevra explained.

'Is there anything I can do to help?' Ron inquired.

'If you stop being a twat, and I don't have to keep an eye on you, that'll help tremendously,' Harry said a bit coldly.

'Oi! I'm sorry, but I really thought my future was with 'Mione, and the next thing I know, she's ready to die for a bloke we'd thought was on the Dark Lord's side until the very end when he showed his face. It was a bit of a shock losing her that way. You should cuff me when I'm that kind of stupid,' Ron said. He paused to take a deep breath, and still under the magic of the potion, he went on, 'You can't imagine what it's like losing the one you love to someone else.'

Silence was instantaneous and quite oppressive. No one knew what to say, and Harry was busy not hexing his friend.

Astoria stood up, walked to Ron and smacked him as hard as she could.

'I said "cuff", not "smack", Mrs Malfoy,' Ron pointed out.

'Be happy that I didn't curse you for being so blind and stupid and such a poor friend,' Astoria spat.

Harry looked at Severus and asked, 'Is it all right if I Disapparate to Tommy and Max for five minutes?'

Severus nodded, and Harry disappeared in the blink of an eye.

'What?!' Ron said.

Hermione sighed, took a deep breath and started a thorough lecture on friendship and paying attention.

The conclusion of that afternoon was that Ron was a clumsy idiot, but he definitely wasn't the one behind the master plan to hurt the Snapes. There might be hope that Ron and the Snapes could eventually build a friendship of some sort one day, but it'd have to be mostly through Owl Post because Ron had decided to move to Romania for good.

In the evening, after Ron, Ginevra and the Malfoys had gone home, Mrs Granger asked her son-in-law why Alienora was trying to hurt him and Hermione.

'I can't understand. I'm sorry,' Severus answered. 'She was in her last year at Hogwarts when I became a pupil there. I don't know her at all.'

'Can't you give her some Veritaserum by accident?' Agatha wondered.

'We've tried,' Harry sighed.

'Each time, she's managed to disappear before anyone could ask her anything,' Hermione explained.

'How frustrating!' Mr Granger sighed.

'What about the Unspeakables?' Mrs Granger and Agatha asked at the same time, which made the two women smile at each other.

'None here with us at the moment? Usually, when we mention them, there's one that appears out of thin air,' Mr Granger said.

'They're outside,' Severus explained.

'They're really nice, and they try not to be too present,' Hermione added.

'And they're just as frustrated as we are,' Harry said with a sigh.

'Is there anything we can do to help you?' Agatha asked.

'Thanks, but either Harry or Sev manages to trap her and we can prove that she's the one behind the latest attacks and Mum and Dad's abduction and hexing, or we need to wait for the next attack,' Hermione declared.

'How can you be so quiet?!' Mrs Granger shouted.

'I trust them and all my friends to keep us safe. It wouldn't be good for the baby if I were to panic. Don't you think?' Hermione stated quietly.

Mrs Granger gulped, but she nodded. Mr Granger and Agatha were beaming at the courageous mother-to-be.

After a very nice and pleasant dinner, Weniers escorted the non-magical guests back to their respective homes, and Harry was about to make sure that everything was safe in the Snapes' house before they all headed back to Hogwarts when the Snapes stopped him.

'What did you tell Tommy to justify your visit?' Severus inquired directly.

'The truth,' Harry answered.

Hermione, who was a bit tired and irritable that evening, growled, 'You mean that Ron's a selfish idiot, who can say the silliest, heartless things?'

'It's good to know that he's not a threat,' Severus said in order to lighten the mood.

'He hasn't always been nice to us,' Hermione pointed out.

'You sound particularly annoyed,' Harry pointed out.

She glared and said, 'Let's say that I'm glad Ginevra made him locate his brain, but I know how he reacted after I saved Sev.'

Harry looked at Severus, who sighed and caved, 'It turns out that Dyann has a complete file on us, and Hermione's read what happened at the hospital the morning after we were abducted.'

'And then I asked Minerva a few more things,' Hermione added.

'I'd have told you, you know,' Harry told her.

Hermione walked to Harry and hugged him. Severus and Harry both knew that she was a bit emotional these days.

'I didn't want to bother you,' she whispered.

'Hermione?' Harry said softly.

'It's nothing,' she lied, obviously suddenly moved almost to tears.

'You can tell him; he's not made of glass,' Severus pointed out.

Hermione shook her head and nearly strangled Harry, who rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her. 'Tell me,' Harry encouraged her softly.

'It's just that...' Hermione began to say, but she really couldn't finish her sentence.

Harry caught the clue Snitch and he exclaimed, 'I was always on your side, Sweetie. When Ron left the moment we located you and Sev, I knew things would never be the same with Ron, even if he came to his senses.' He saw that she mostly felt sorry because of his ex-girlfriend's reaction, and he added, 'You know, the old Ginny isn't someone I'd have wanted in my life, so stop feeling sad. All right?'

Harry looked at his friend, but she still looked sad for him, and he turned to Severus. The latter used a spell to tell Harry that Hermione was really sad that Harry was all alone since Draco rescued Astoria.

'There's got to be someone out there for me,' Harry declared.

'Yes, but you _had_ found someone,' Hermione protested.

'He's not dead, he's still a friend, and he rescued Astoria, who'll be very nice and loving. I know she'll take good care of him,' Harry said.

Hermione was about to protest that he was still all alone, but Severus said gently, 'I'm sure Auror Potter will find someone as good as the younger Mrs Malfoy.'

Harry hugged Hermione and nodded.

'But when Ron reminded you of Ginny, you looked so sad,' Hermione pointed out.

'Look, my dear Professor Snape, I really thought that I could go back to Ginny after the war, but that turned out to be impossible, and then my friendship with Draco took a turn I'd never have imagined. Life's weird. I still miss the old Ginny I once dated, and I thought Draco and I would stay together, but life _is_ weird. I'm still sad sometimes, but Sev's right, and there's got to be someone nice for me out there,' Harry told her.

'Yes, but I'd hoped that...' her voice trailed off.

'I'll eventually find someone,' Harry said.

'Our dear Harry will just have to start dating again,' Severus said.

Harry didn't even glare at his best friend's husband, but he used magic to project a thought, "Could you please remind me how long it took you to recover from losing Lily Evans?"

Severus almost gaped at that, but he knew that he had to change the topic rather quickly for his own good.

'By the way, Ginevra Weasley shouldn't have access to Veritaserum,' Severus said.

Hermione wasn't exactly her normal self, and she didn't spot the awkwardness between Harry and her husband.

For Hermione's sake, Harry took Severus's bait and said, 'Perhaps she's training to become a Potions mistress.'

'Since her brewing didn't trigger the monitoring that I added to the patent I got last August, then it means that she's brewing at school. I think she really means to try to become a professional Quidditch player; therefore, she's doing something with Veritaserum,' Severus said.

'I'm sure she's not doing anything illegal,' Harry said.

'You know what she's doing, don't you?' Hermione stated.

'Not impossible,' Harry answered.

'I'll take it that there's a link to the fact that the older students' grades have improved in a way that can't be explained only by the fact that we're at peace now,' Severus added.

'Harry?' Hermione said.

'Yea, well, speaking of Hogwarts, we should perhaps head back home,' Harry declared.

The Snapes knew how stubborn Harry could be, and since he was an Occlumens when he wanted, it meant that they'd know the truth about Ginevra and the Veritaserum only when Harry was at liberty to share with them.

Harry and Weniers made sure that the house was safe, and after making sure that the Unspeakables outside would follow, they all Floo'ed back to Hogwarts.

Severus and Hermione had some research to do, and they headed to the Library together. Harry was walking up from the dungeons with them, and he spotted Luna as she walked outside.

'I'll go see if she's all right,' Harry announced, pointing his index finger at the main door that had just closed itself behind Luna.

Severus wondered what was going on, but Hermione just saw her best friend going out to check that a very dear friend was fine.

Severus was beginning to know how to deal with his beloved wife, and he was like a very skilled and talented violinist with her all-over-the-map feelings, which is why he managed to change the topic and made her forget about Harry - and Luna.

While the Snapes talked about lesson plans and names for their daughter, Harry jogged after Luna, and caught up with her rather quickly.

'Hi, Luna!' he said joyfully.

She turned to him, smiled and said, 'Hello, Harry. How are you?'

'I'm fine,' he answered with a wide smile. Luna was always so nice and caring. 'I should be the one asking you that, you've got your NEWTs coming up, and you're the one in charge of the school "club" you know,' he added.

'You're too nice for your own good,' Luna told him.

He tilted his head and asked, 'What do you mean?'

'Compared to the war, school is very quiet, and even if we've got to make sure that Professor Snape is all right and safe at all times, reading here is easy. Right now, I'm on Yule break, and I've done all my assignments, but you... You didn't have time to recover from the war when you became an Auror, and now, you've got your full-time job, plus the protection of the Snapes when you're with them. You don't have time for yourself,' she explained.

Harry was quite surprised, and he blurted, 'I took a short break in the summer, you know. Thanks to Min, in fact.'

Luna nodded and said, 'It makes sense. She really loves you, but it doesn't change the fact that you need to relax, otherwise, you'll be flatter than a Zgorrejim fully dried within two years.'

'I've got work to do,' he protested feebly.

'You'll help no one if you're overworked, but I understand why you're so sad. Work can be a way to heal and forget, but just don't do too much,' she said.

'What do you mean?' he asked her nervously.

'Search my mind, Harry,' Luna told him.

Very gently, Harry visited her thoughts, and he saw that she'd understood that Ron, Ginny and Molly had broken his heart when they didn't side with Hermione and they rejected her because she'd become Mrs Snape. She'd seen his feelings for Draco, and she'd concluded that the two young men's surprise friendship had turned into real love, and even if Draco was getting used to the idea of being Astoria's husband because the young witch was astounding and gentle, Harry was left all alone. Once more. As usual.

Through Luna's thoughts, Harry realized that he did feel quite lonely. He had friends (and very good ones), and he had Minerva, who'd changed his life after the war, but he felt alone.

Luna took Harry's right hand and said, 'Let's go to the room where we can speak freely. I'll summon it in a way to have a quiet place to have supper together.'

'Why? You don't have to spend time with me,' he pointed out.

'You're my friend, Auror Potter,' she declared as if that explained everything in the world.

Right then, Harry needed to be with someone he'd known for a long time, and Luna was an excellent choice. Of course, he could go see Kate, or Lola, or even Jim Nettle (they were his close friends now), but it wasn't the same.

Harry followed Luna.

When they got back inside, a handful of students who'd stayed at school for the break saw them and jumped to conclusions, even if it was obvious that Harry was just being led somewhere. Harry didn't notice, and he wouldn't really have cared because he knew that anything and everything he did or said was over-analysed, and even when he denied the obvious, most people in the Wizarding community didn't believe him (they'd rather believe the gossips, rumours and other silly things that usually ended up being printed in the magical fish-wrappers).

Luna, even if a few of her fellows still bothered her because she hadn't changed one bit and was quite an unusual witch, was quite capable of fending for herself, and she wouldn't have been bothered at all if she'd realized that her holding Harry's hand would make people talk.

When Luna summoned the Room of Requirement, she created a quiet space that seemed to be somehow connected to the Hogwarts kitchen since house-elves they knew came to take their orders.

As they were drinking pumpkin juice and waiting for treats to be served, Harry asked her, 'What's a gorrege... a gorgi...? Well, that thing you compared me to,' he asked.

'A Zgorrejim,' she said.

'Yes! That! What is it?' he inquired.

She started giving him an explanation that was over a mile long, but Harry didn't mind. For the first time, he got to be told more, a lot more, about the weird beliefs in the Lovegood family, and that was very entertaining.

Harry spent a lovely evening with Luna, and after he escorted her to her house, he reflected that, if she'd let him, she'd probably become his new best friend - at least as long as she stayed at Hogwarts, or until she found a boyfriend who'd take up most of her free time.

Harry decided to seize the day, and he'd develop his friendship with Luna for at least a few months. She was quiet, warm, friendly and quite witty; she knew that he needed company and she was there for him.

The students came back in early January.

Severus Snape had the best birthday he'd ever had even though Hermione was annoyed to be still pregnant (she very much wanted to meet their baby, and everything was ready for their little Anna Agatha).

It was a few days after Severus's birthday, and as she was teaching her first class of the day, that Hermione Snape went into labour. She was so surprised and in so much pain that her yell travelled through all the fireplaces inside Hogwarts, and down to the Ministry of Magic that had one Floo channel open to Hogwarts.

Everybody rushed to help Hermione; Severus, Minerva and Poppy, and all the house-elves. Harry was told through the Ministry's grapevine, and he called Dyann before going to the Grangers' and Agatha Snape's.

They all tried to help Hermione, but the delivery was long and rather painful. Severus looked ready to faint (or about to make a vow to not have another baby after this one if it hurt his beloved wife so much); he knew that he had to wait until after the delivery to help Hermione with all sorts of potions.

Everybody was so tense that most of the lessons were spent either talking about the birds and bees (with the older students) or just talking about families, pregnant witches and what it'd be like to have the baby around.

Finally, late in the evening, Hermione Snape delivered a healthy baby. The minute Dyann and Poppy gave him the green light, Severus gave his wife a few potions that made her feel like her old self again.

Then, they could properly welcome their little angel.

When Hermione delivered the baby, it was a bit of a surprise for her to realize that their daughter was... their son, in fact. And so, Anna Agatha Snape became Anthony John Snape.

Hermione adapted to the change almost instantly, but Severus looked more than surprised.

After many spells, since Hermione no longer risked anything, the young mother was sent home with Anthony and the happy father.

Once the baby was asleep, and guarded by an army of house-elves, and when Hermione fell asleep, too, Severus went to brood in their parlour, which was were Harry found his friend.

'You look... odd, Sev. Is something wrong?' Harry inquired.

Severus remained silent.

'Hermione?' Harry went on.

Severus shook his head.

'The baby? Is there something wrong with Anthony?' Harry practically gasped.

Severus shook his head again and said, 'No, he's perfectly fine and healthy.'

'Then what, Sev?' Harry wondered.

Severus shrugged.

'Look, it's too bloody late for me to go investigating-Auror on you, and you're blocking your thoughts. Spill the beans so I can help you with whatever's making you look so miserable on what should be one of the happiest days of your life,' Harry said quietly.

'Do you think Hermione noticed something?' Severus asked.

'No, because even with all your potions, she's very, very tired, but if you don't get your act together by tomorrow morning, she'll see through you, and I wouldn't want to be in your shoes then,' Harry told him. He looked at his friend and added, 'Now, don't tell me that you're disappointed that your first child is a boy.'

'Absolutely not!' Severus exclaimed, just before turning guiltily towards the door that led to the room where his wife and son were asleep.

'What, then?' Harry wondered.

Severus waved his hand in an attempt to dismiss Harry's question. Harry sighed deeply, and he moved from his spot and settled on Severus's armrest.

'What the heck is wrong with you?' Harry asked, but Severus remained silent, though Harry's concern was slowly working on him. 'Look, I know you love Hermione, and I saw how proud you were when Dyann handed you Anthony. Don't make me hex you. What's eating you up?'

Severus sighed and cast a spell to make sure that no one could overhear them.

'So?' Harry asked.

'I only care for the fact that our baby is healthy, but I'd got used to the idea of raising a daughter,' Severus said.

'I thought most men preferred having sons,' Harry pointed out when Severus didn't go on.

Severus shrugged, and that was what allowed the penny to drop for Harry.

'Oh, Merlin! Don't tell me you're afraid to turn into a creep like your own dad!' Harry protested.

Severus remained silent.

'Oh, you _idiot_! You're nothing like your dad, and besides, if you worry that you might not be good enough for your son, it means that you're going to be brilliant. The icing on your cake is that your wife, the one who brought you back from the _dead_, you know, that little lady who's more stubborn than _anyone_ in this world, well, she'd never let you be a bad dad,' Harry said.

'I'm out of my depth, Harry,' Severus whispered.

Harry knew how much it must have cost him to admit as much, aloud, and to the son of James Potter. Harry hugged his friend and said, 'If you can make sure that your students, including the ones like Neville, don't blow themselves to Kingdom come with cauldrons of dangerous potions, then you'll be fantastic with your own baby! You've got a baby wizard of your own. With you and 'Mione for parents, you'll get a Ravenclaw in eleven years!'

Severus took a deep, calming breath, smiled at Harry and asked, 'Is that a bet, Auror Potter?'

'Just a prediction, my dear Deputy Headmaster,' Harry said warmly. 'Feeling better?'

Severus nodded, and Harry went back to his initial spot.

'When Hermione's magic comes back, that'll help you to settle down in your new life,' Harry said.

Severus nodded.

Severus's fears about his being good enough for Anthony disappeared for good overnight, but Hermione's magic didn't come back.

By March, even Dyann was beginning to worry that Professor Snape might be a Squib from now on.

By late April, Hermione was almost about to collapse and have a nervous breakdown - in spite of the potions that Severus was brewing for her.

Three things managed to help Hermione: Professor Trelawney, Luna Lovegood and the Centaurs of the Forbidden Forest.

Sybil Trelawney had a vision of what was wrong with Hermione, and she was on her way to the dungeons when she was hit by a Disorientation spell. However, since she was about to make a real prediction, she knew that this would happen, and she'd written everything down on a piece of parchment that she handed to the student who came to her rescue.

'Don't mind me, Miss Lovegood. I'll just need a bit of time to head back to my tower. Now, it's your responsibility to deliver this letter. Your friend needs your help,' Sybil said.

Luna took the parchment and gently pushed the professor in the right direction.

'Thank you!' Sybil said before adding in a hiss, 'And don't hesitate to hex that bitch!'

Wand at the ready, Luna walked towards the dungeons, but only after sending a special spell to the members of Dumbledore's Army, who came to help and protect her. However, since Luna was the one bearing the prediction, she was the one targeted by Alienora.

Yet... Alienora underestimated Luna, and the young student didn't hesitate to hex her elder, a _teacher_. Being Luna, she used some unusual hex that left Alienora incapacitated for long enough to allow Luna to reach the Snapes' quarters.

Severus was brewing some intricate potion in order to try to help Hermione feel better, and she was alone with Anthony.

Luna barged in, spell-locked the door and walked to Hermione, who was crying in silence on the sofa while Anthony slept near her.

'Professor Trelawney turned me into an owl. You've got post,' Luna said, as she gave Hermione the piece of parchment.

Hermione dried her tears and said, 'Sorry about the tears. My hormones are still all over the map. Could you read it for me, please?'

'Of course,' Luna said softly.

She opened the parchment and read what the seer had to reveal. Then, she exclaimed, 'Bitch!'

'Luna!' Hermione protested.

'Ballo has managed to have all the Potions ingredients sent here poisoned. Everything your husband brewed for you had a counter-effect,' Luna said.

'Bitch!' Hermione finally agreed.

'We've got to go to the Forbidden Forest. Trelawney says that you'll be healed there,' Luna added.

'I can't leave my baby!' Hermione protested.

'House-elves!' Luna called.

Weniers, Zarou and Kreacher answered with a dozen other elves.

'Protect the baby at all costs while we head to the forest,' Luna ordered.

'It's in our power to take you there safely,' Kreacher declared.

'Do so, then,' Luna said.

Kreacher took Hermione and Luna's hands and, with elfish magic, took them right into the heart of the forest.

'Go back to the baby,' Luna said.

'I can't leave you; the place's too dangerous!' Kreacher spat.

'Hermione's got me, but you must go alarm the Ministry, the Unspeakables, Harry and Deputy Headmaster Snape. Go!' Luna said.

'And don't forget Minerva!' Hermione added just before Kreacher obeyed (he might be a very old and cunning house-elf who knew how to trick the Wizarding wards of Hogwarts, but there was something about the two ladies that just told him to flee). She looked around and asked, 'What now?'

'We walk and we look for some clues,' Luna said.

They'd barely left the spot where they arrived when they heard hooves.

'The Centaurs will certainly help,' Luna suggested.

Unfortunately, the ones they first met were rather young and not really listening to their instincts. About ten young males surrounded Hermione and Luna.

'Filthy witches! This is our territory!' the leader of the pack shouted at them.

'Quiet boys! You're supposed to help us here,' Luna stated calmly.

The Centaurs were taken aback.

A female Centaur of respectable age joined them and said, 'Can't you hear in the wind who the one without magic is?'

The males shrugged, lost.

'Oh, leave! You annoy me,' the lady Centaur growled.

They obeyed instantly.

'Thank you, Ma'am,' Hermione almost sobbed.

'Ballo almost got you, but she wasn't to succeed. You defeated Death. You're special,' the lady Centaur declared.

'What does she have to do to heal?' Luna asked the Centaur.

She pointed an elegant finger to some point behind the two humans, and right then, they heard a pitiful cry; some creature was in danger, or in pain.

Luna took Hermione's hand and encouraged her to run towards the sound. In a clearing, they saw a strange miracle: a unicorn mare was about to give birth, which, in and of itself, was not so common, but on top of that, the male next to her was a Thestral.

'Beautiful,' Luna said dreamily.

'Er... they don't usually breed together, do they?' Hermione asked.

'It's got to be a first,' Luna said.

The mare whinnied; she looked in great pain.

'I must help her,' Hermione decided as she walked closer.

The Thestral looked ready to trample her, but Luna spoke to him and said, 'She can help your baby.'

The Thestral nervously flapped his wings, but he didn't attack Hermione.

'The hind legs are coming first. Do you think that's normal?' Hermione asked her friend.

'No idea,' Luna admitted.

Hermione walked to face the mare and said, 'May I touch you to help your baby?'

The unusual mother-to-be nodded several times, and Hermione took position.

The baby seemed to have his mother's skin, but the first surprise came when Hermione helped him come out and she saw his wings wrapped around his belly. Then, the baby was born, and his head was a perfect mix between his parents; he was somehow reptile-like and with a small horn.

Hermione tried to help him stay up, but he collapsed on the ground.

Unicorn and Thestral looked terrified, and they both tried to get the baby's wings to unfold in order to have them dry. Luna tried to help the worried parents and Hermione worked to clean the baby's nose with her handkerchief.

Having his wings dried and upwards, thanks to a spell cast by Luna, was good for the baby, but it wasn't enough and he stopped breathing.

The unicorn seemed to cry. Hermione looked at the unicorn and then at the Thestral, and Luna saw that some form of communication went on between Hermione and the parents.

'Massage his heart while I breathe for him,' Hermione told Luna.

The two witches worked together as the parents made sure that their baby's wings stayed upward.

'Levitation spell,' Hermione ordered.

Luna obeyed instantly, and somehow up on his legs, his wings higher than his heart and with his lungs filling with air, the baby coughed and opened his eyes.

With her sleeve, Hermione cleaned her mouth from the contact with the baby, and she said, 'Get him to the ground slowly.'

Luna did just that, and on unsteady legs, the cute hybrid took his first steps. Without the help of two humans, he'd have died, and he nuzzled Hermione and looked at Luna, who just nodded.

'Your son is beautiful,' Hermione told the parents, who, as if they understood human speech, nodded.

The happy family walked into the heart of the forest.

As they walked away, Hermione whispered to her friend, 'You wouldn't have sweets in a pocket, would you?'

'No, why?' Luna asked.

'I think I swallowed a few short hairs from his nose, and they're nastily bitter,' Hermione explained.

Luna took a good look at her friend and declared, 'I think you should try to spit them out. They must have absorbed the nasty things that Ballo managed to make you take.'

Hermione did as suggested. 'That wasn't very elegant. Sorry!' she apologized.

'You look back to normal,' Luna declared.

'Really?!' Hermione said, clearly surprised. 'Mind you, I _do_ feel completely different.'

'How about your magic?' Luna asked.

Hermione tried to cast a spell, but it didn't work.

'Too bad,' Luna said, 'but perhaps you just need a bit of time to reconnect to your inner magic.'

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but instead she gasped and said, 'Anthony's crying!'

Luna, who couldn't hear a single wail, believed her friend and said, 'I can Apparate us to the main gate.'

Hermione nodded, and as soon as they were at the gates, she ran in, with Luna right behind her.

Hermione felt that something was going on in her home, and she ran to the dungeons. In the corridor leading to Severus's and her quarters, there were the older members of the new Dumbledore Army with Aurors, Unspeakables and fellow professors. In her quarters, she found Alienora cornered in the parlour. The DADA teacher was holding Anthony in her left arm as she was aiming her wand at Harry and Minerva. Severus was in the middle, and trying to negotiate with the witch.

'What the heck is going on?!' Hermione barked.

Harry recognized the tone and answered, 'She conspired to come back here in order to seduce Severus. She worked to poison you.'

'What an idiot,' Hermione said calmly. 'Go out, I'm going to deal with her,' she told her husband and friends.

'I won't leave you,' Severus said.

She turned to him and, much to his surprise, she projected a thought at him. Severus's grin didn't bode well for the intruder, and he grabbed Harry and Minerva's hands and led them out.

When he closed the door, Minerva protested, 'But, Severus!'

'My wife's magic is about to explode back to her. She just needs Ballo to anger her,' Severus said.

'Since she's got Anthony, Ballo's toast in five seconds,' Harry said.

'Harry, Anthony is guarded by the house-elves. There's no way Ballo took him,' Luna told her friend.

'She's right. Apparently, Weniers and Kreacher were not alone to protect us,' Severus said.

'I ordered all the house-elves to protect you,' Minerva said.

'Yes, but... Zarou!' Severus called.

The young elf answered instantly and surrendered Anthony, who was now sleeping peacefully, to his dad.

'Bless you!' Severus said.

'I put so much magic in my decoy that the bad lady will never believe it's not really the little angel,' Zarou pointed out.

'This should be interesting. I hope the walls won't need to be washed,' Severus declared as he cuddled his son.

'We wouldn't mind,' Zarou said.

Severus smiled at that.

Anthony gurgled in his sleep, and one of the Aurors took a couple of steps closer. 'That's one cute baby you've got there,' Harry's colleague said.

'Thanks to his mother,' Severus answered.

'Well, looks like you're making some unexpected people fall for you,' Harry pointed out with his right thumb aiming at the Snapes' door.

'If Hermione doesn't reduce her to shreds, Ballo'll need to have her eyes, or perhaps her brain, checked,' Severus said.

'Perhaps she's after _your_ brain. Looks aren't everything, and I think you're disparaging your wife's choice of husband,' Luna said quietly.

Severus blinked once and said, 'Noted, Miss Lovegood.'

Harry smiled at her.

'Oh, I wonder what's going on in there!' Minerva exclaimed, sounding quite frustrated.

'Aren't we all?' said one of the Unspeakables who was posing as an Auror in order to protect her cover.

'I have your son, and I'll kill him if you don't free your husband,' Alienora said the moment the door closed.

Hermione snorted. 'That thing you're holding isn't my baby, and Sev's mine, you bitch! Now, I'm going to make you pay for making my life hell since I delivered Anthony,' she said.

Alienora blinked. 'This is your son, you silly girl,' she protested.

Hermione snorted again and said, 'Look, idiot, you found a way to get to the potions supplies, and I must have been fair game, but my baby's protected by an army of faithful elves.'

Alienora still had a hard time believing that the bundle in her arms was not a baby.

'So, did you have anything to do with Dekoo and Lihar?' Hermione asked.

'Absolutely not. I'd have stopped them if I'd known they'd endanger Severus,' Alienora answered.

'No link with Curby, and no leaking info to Skeeter or Umbridge, then,' Hermione went on.

'Of course not! Nothing that could hurt Severus!' Alienora said. 'He's too precious.'

'But I was fair game,' Hermione growled.

'Of course, and your child is in my way, too,' the other witch said.

'Then why didn't you fight Voldemort and protect Sev? And where were you when he was killed? I fought in the war, and I'm the one who brought him back to life and bonded with him in the process. You were hiding on the continent during both wars, and you'd never talked to Sev until you got your job here,' Hermione spat.

'He should be mine. I'm just slightly older than him, and our minds are so much alike,' Alienora said stubbornly.

'Oh, I get it. You're just completely nuts. Sev bonded with _me_, he chose _me_, we've got a wonderful son together, and I'm ready to kill for him... and let's not forget that we've got half the Wizarding population behind the door waiting for me to shred you to pieces,' Hermione said.

'I used the Weasley girl to spy on you. I hexed her, I hexed your parents, and you should have been hit by the Memory charm that Weasley aimed at you. You'd have lost the baby, and Severus would have left you, and then he'd have been mine,' Alienora declared quite foolishly.

'Look, I can get the tricks and everything, but you'd have killed my baby?!' Hermione shouted.

Alienora didn't spot the impending explosion, but then again, she was probably demented or at least seriously unhinged. 'He's in my way,' she answered calmly, coldly dropping the decoy on the stone floor.

Hermione felt a bubble of something boil in her, and she just knew that it was her magic on its way back to her. She extended her right hand and cast a series of spells on Alienora, who, DADA or not, wasn't able to counter _any_ of them.

The instant Hermione's magic came back to her, the spells she'd tried to cast on her husband's hair regularly all activated, and Severus's hair touched the floor.

'Interesting look if you were in a rock band,' Harry said with a merry chuckle.

Severus snapped his fingers to restore his usual haircut and said, 'At least, we're sure that my witch is back.'

They waited for a few minutes, wondering what Hermione was doing to the other witch.

Finally, Hermione opened the door, and they all looked at her.

'Darling?' Severus practically purred.

'My magic's back at last,' she said quietly.

'I know, Hermione. I'm wondering if we need tapestries on the walls to hide the blood,' Severus said.

'No,' she told him, making the vowel very long, 'she'll need to stay in the hospital for a bit, but she'll live to be tried.' She turned to Harry and handed him a scroll of parchment as she said, 'Full confession of the twat.'

While Harry, and the ones near him, took a peak at the text, Hermione summoned her wand.

'Does the Hermione want me to go tell the good news to the rest of the family?' Weniers inquired.

'Yes, Dear!' Hermione said, and the house-elf went to see Agatha Snape and the Grangers.

Harry, his colleagues and the Unspeakables went to arrest Alienora Ballo (right before shipping her to goal hospital because she didn't have a single bone in her body that wasn't broken).

Luna turned to her soldiers and said, 'Dismissed!'

They all obeyed her and the house-elves followed suit.

'We'll have to divide the Defence lessons between us,' Minerva pointing out.

'If you're still planning to give me that job next year, I could start right away,' Hermione declared.

'No way in hell! You need to rest for two months. You've been through too much,' Luna exclaimed.

Hermione blinked, but she knew that her friend had a point.

'If we can get someone from the Ministry to declare that Miss Lovegood can teach the course until the end of the year, that'd settle our problem,' Severus told Minerva.

'Can she really teach her classmates?' Minerva inquired.

'She seems to be the head of a new DA, Headmistress,' Severus explained.

'Really?' Minerva said, rather impressed and quite delighted.

'She's allowed me to see as much in her thoughts,' Severus declared.

'My, my! Excellent. Will you help us for a few weeks, Miss Lovegood?' Minerva asked her unusual student.

'Of course,' Luna answered as if taking over the Defence classroom was as easy as brewing tea.

Minerva turned to the Snapes and asked, 'Will you be all right if I Floo to the Ministry?'

'Of course!' both answered in harmony.

'I'll ask Kingsley to make Miss Lovegood a temporary professor by officially registering her Defence grades and her courageous actions during the war. I'll have him prepare the papers to have Professor Snape become the next DADA teacher,' Minerva said. She turned to Hermione and said, 'And you'd better keep that position until I retire! After that, the school shall be your husband's problem, not mine.'

'Yes, Headmistress,' Hermione said with a merry chuckle.

'Right, and I'll ask John to coax Miss Mann into becoming our next Muggle Studies teacher,' Minerva added.

'Oh, good luck with that one!' Hermione said.

Minerva nodded and asked, 'Do you think I can borrow your fireplace?'

'Let's go check if the various officers have cleaned our parlour,' Hermione said.

The room was blissfully empty, but for one Unspeakable.

'Ballo's on her way to the Ministry. We'll be able to start the trials very soon,' he declared.

'What else?' Hermione inquired.

The Unspeakable smiled widely and answered, 'Your family shall remain under protection for a full month after the court verdict. Don't be surprised if you spot our teams around sometimes.'

'I'll go to the Ministry then,' Minerva announced.

'I'll travel with you,' the Unspeakable said.

In a bright flash of green flames, the Snapes found themselves alone with Luna.

'I'd better go prepare something for Defence,' Luna announced. 'Odd weekend.'

'Do you want me to help you?' Hermione inquired.

'You've got better things to do, and I'll just do for all the students what I did with the soldiers,' Luna explained.

'Excellent plan,' Severus said gently.

Luna smiled and said, 'Thank you, Deputy Headmaster.'

'What happened in the forest, by the way?' Severus asked his wife and Luna.

The two witches traded looks, and Hermione said, 'It's so strange I'm sure most people would think it was some kind of hallucination.'

'I'll let you tell the story, and I'll go back with apples and carrots for the baby,' Luna said, already retreating.

'What baby?' Severus wondered.

'Call for some tea, and I'll tell you,' Hermione told him. She looked at Luna and added loudly, 'And don't catch a cold, or Minerva would hex you. She'll need you until the end of the year,' Hermione said.

Luna nodded and left.

Hermione started explaining how she'd helped the most unusual family in the forest. Severus was absolutely fascinated, but he was mostly delighted that his lovely witch had her magic back.

When Harry Floo'ed back to Hogwarts, he was absolutely convinced that his friends would be fine now. As well, the trials would start in a month, which meant that the Snapes would probably have all their attackers jailed, and then, with both Snapes able to protect themselves with magic, the future looked rather peaceful for them.

Harry was absolutely delighted for his friends, and not only because Kingsley had just told him that he could ease his surveillance now that Ballo was caught.

He was planning to spend a quiet evening in his room, but Kreacher went to see him.

'Professor Snape is worried about Professor Lovegood,' the house-elf said.

Harry was forced to smile at Luna's momentary title. 'Where is she?' he inquired.

'She hasn't come back from the forest, and Professor Snape is afraid that your friend has met unfriendly Centaurs or that she might need help with the baby,' Kreacher answered.

'What baby?' Harry asked.

Kreacher explained how Hermione helped in the delivery of the hybrid baby.

'I'll go look for Luna,' Harry declared.

He took his Invisibility Cloak with him and went looking for Luna with Nemesis's help. The owl located the witch quite easily, and Harry found Luna singing a lullaby to the baby, who was shivering between his parents under his father's right wing.

'He's cold,' Harry stated as he walked closer.

'They don't want to let me use magic near him now,' Luna explained. 'They didn't even let me put my robes on him.'

'That's because they know that you'd stay with them, and you'd freeze to death,' Harry pointed out.

Harry took his cloak off and the Thestral closed his wing long enough for Harry to wrap the baby in the precious cloak. He turned to Luna and said, 'Now we can spell a weather bubble that'll stop the wind and once they're used to it, we'll light a fire for us, Professor Lovegood.'

'All right, Auror Potter,' she answered.

A bit later, Zarou, who no longer had to be a spy all the time, brought them dinner and bedcovers to keep warm.

It had been a cold night, but Harry and Luna had instinctively used spells and charms to stay relatively warn.

At dawn, the unicorn took Harry's cloak off her child, and she brought it back to Harry, who opened one eye.

'Thanks,' he whispered.

The unicorn looked at Harry in such a strange way that he understood that she wanted to tell him something. Luna, still deeply asleep, moved closer to him, and the unicorn nodded several times.

'Luna?' Harry said barely above a whisper.

The unicorn nodded again and went back to her family. The baby had a curious glow about him that showed how precious and magical he was. The family left the protection of the spells cast by Harry and Luna, and they walked away. They no longer belonged with the unicorns or the Thestrals, but they had one another.

Harry looked at Luna. He realized that she was becoming a very close friend, and he quite liked spending time with her; perhaps it meant that he somehow wished that she'd be more than just a friend, and if a unicorn seemed to think that she belonged in his arms, maybe there was something worth investigating there.

Harry called a house-elf, and he asked him to gather everything Zarou had brought and take it back to the castle.

Harry picked up the sleeping Luna and was about to carry her back when the elf grabbed the side of his robes and transported them to the main gate of the school.

'Thank you,' Harry whispered.

'You're welcome, Auror Potter. It'll be better for Professor Lovegood to finish the night in her own bed. One of us will help you get her into her nightclothes once you reach her dorm,' the elf said.

'I'll come by the kitchen later today; I'd really like to learn more about your form of magic,' Harry said, as he walked inside after the elf.

'I'm not sure humans can understand, but I'm sure the oldest among us will be happy to tell you more. Wizards aren't usually interested in us,' the elf declared.

'I'm not surprised, but I'm not like them,' Harry added as he reached the stairs.

'Understatement, Auror Potter,' the elf said with a warm smile.

Harry smiled back and started to go upstairs.

The people in the paintings on the wall smiled when they saw Harry and Luna. The whole place would probably be gossiping about them before the end of breakfast, but both were used to it.

Harry reached Luna's house, and since he was wearing his Auror badge, he was allowed in Luna's dorm.

There, Harry saw a house-elf banging her head on the side of the only unoccupied bed.

Harry deposited Luna on her bed, wrapped her in her bedcover and turned to the elf. 'What's wrong?' he inquired gently.

The elf, who was dizzy by then, said, 'I not find Professor Lovegood's clothes.'

Harry was ready to think that the house-elf didn't know where to look, but then he heard one of Luna's dorm mates giggle; he remembered the time when Luna had been looking for her belongings all over the castle because her mates had stolen and hidden them.

Harry saw red.

He knelt next to the house-elf and asked her in a very soft whisper to transport Luna to his room. The house-elf obeyed instantly, and in complete silence.

Then, Harry cast a spell in order to assess where Luna's clothes were, and it turned out, as he'd feared, that it wasn't in her chest of drawer.

He heard the giggle again and barked, 'Okay, that's enough! What stupidity have you done?!'

The next sound coming from Luna's dorm mates' beds sounded a lot more like a frightened squeak.

'Get out of bed and tell me what you've done to your fellow's things,' Harry ordered.

Two girls obeyed.

'It's just our usual joke, Harry,' one of them said.

'_Usual_?' Harry growled.

Both girls nodded, and the other said, 'She's used to it.'

'All right. It's Auror Potter from now on, and get dressed and go to the Great Hall,' Harry ordered.

Then, Harry remembered a detail that Minerva had mentioned during one of their quiet evening chats; like in any (Muggle) school, there was an alarm installed. Of course, at Hogwarts, it was a charm - and something that was never used since teachers or students could cast spells to counter whatever might be justifying to ask the students and staff to evacuate the building. Harry activated the charm, and the whole school walked, bleary-eyed, to the Great Hall, where a special spell could protect them from almost anything.

Minerva was demanding to know what was going on when Harry walked in with Luna's dorm mates.

'I apologize, Headmistress, I summoned the whole school because of a breach of the law that I must address right now,' Harry declared coldly.

Minerva squeaked, but nodded.

Harry walked to the High table and cast the Sonorus charm on himself.

'A few of you may have noticed that the only residents of Hogwarts who are missing our little chat are Professor Lovegood, Professor Snape and Deputy Headmaster Snape. The Snapes have been through enough, and I'd rather lecture you lot while Professor Lovegood's away from your pettiness. She's been training most of you as the head of the new DA, and she's being thanked by having her belongings scattered all around the castle. It's petty. It's low. It's unworthy of you, and most of all, it's illegal, and it's high time bullying is tackled in this school,' Harry said.

There were murmurs throughout the hall.

The head of Ravenclaw was the first to speak. 'I can punish the culprits,' he said.

'Not enough,' Harry said. 'For too long, bullies have been allowed to get away with their pettiness, but we're not beasts. We're supposed to be civilized.'

'Quite right!' Danny Nettle exclaimed louder than he'd planned.

Harry smiled at the son of his Muggle police trainer, and he went on, 'A very good man told me that, as an Auror, I am the Law, and he was right, and as such, I now have the power to take action and set things to right. First, I must punish the ones who hid Professor Lovegood's possessions because it's very unkind, and then I'll cast a spell to assess what kind of bullying has been going on within these walls, and house points will be lost.'

'Not fair!' a fifth-year Gryffindor exclaimed.

Harry turned to him and hissed, 'Be happy that I can't go back to the founding of the school! I can only go back to the time I was made an Auror.'

'Auror Potter is right, and I'm so disappointed in you for being so unkind to Professor Lovegood,' Minerva declared sternly.

The students were either on Harry's side from the start, or they were embarrassed, but a few were angry that their little games, their _pranks_, would be stopped now.

The next to help Harry was the Bloody Baron. The respectable ghost floated next to Harry and said, 'You're given a chance to have a better future. Something better for you and for the children you'll have someday. You shouldn't start spying on one another and report each and every breach of the rules, but if some of you keep being blatantly unkind, then you'll have to face another Dark Lord before you know it. In fact, you're awfully lucky that Professor Lovegood is so incredibly, profoundly good, because she'd be justified to hate the lot of you for your pettiness. She fought in the war, taught you how to be better wizards and witches in the new Dumbledore's Army, and she's about to help you all in Defence classes, and you thank her by hiding her belongings.' The ghost paused theatrically and went on, 'When you harass people who are not profoundly good, you brew _yourself_ the next Voldemort.'

'Auror Potter is right.'

Everybody turned towards Mrs Malfoy, who looked positively furious.

'We must change, or we'll have another war in our lives before we can heal from this one. I'm not saying that we've got to all turn into brainless, happy idiots, but we must be kinder to one another,' Astoria declared.

'Coming from a Slytherin!' someone said.

Astoria turned towards the voice and hissed back, 'A Slytherin who was betrayed by her own family, and who was rescued by complete kindness. Do you know what you get when you're unkind? If you're lucky, you're dealing with someone as kind and impassive as Luna and your victim doesn't care, but if you're not, you're dealing with someone who ends up wanting to _die_ or wanting to _kill_. We can be better than that!'

Harry looked at Draco, who looked so proud of his wife, and that fuelled Harry's anger; he'd always be proud of what Draco had done and happy that Astoria hadn't thrown herself into the Thames, but the fact that he'd lost a companion because of some bigotry and family bullying would stay with him forever. He was angry on Luna's behalf, but Severus and the way he'd been treated for years was in the back of his mind, as well.

There was nothing that Harry could do for Severus now, but he could protect Luna, and he would. Harry realized that he wanted to protect her for as long as she'd let him, and since he feared that she'd never let him, that fanned the flames of his fury.

Harry cast a spell that catalogued all forms of bullying at Hogwarts since he'd been made an Auror, and he took twenty points off for each incident. In the end, all the houses had negative points.

'Let this be a lesson for you all. The deficit shall be kept, and the four houses will have to work next year in order to stop being in the red,' Minerva declared coldly. She looked at her students and added, 'I'll have the wards modified, and each act of bullying will be automatically registered. Serious offenders shall be expelled, and in grave cases, they'll be prosecuted.'

Zarou arrived next to Harry and tugged at his robes. She looked so tiny, in spite of her huge ears, and cute that Harry had to smile as he crouched. 'What, Miss Zarou?' he inquired.

She whispered in his ear, 'Mistress Luna's things are back where they should be, and she's waiting for you to have breakfast. I'll take you to her.'

Harry nodded and got up. He looked at the students and said, 'Don't make me ashamed to have been your schoolmate, and don't think that I wouldn't put you in jail. I would.'

Once Zarou had taken Harry away, Minerva, Filius and Pomona started reading the Riot Act to the entire hall.

.  
.

Harry was quite surprised to find Luna with Hermione and Severus in Minerva's parlour.

'It was very kind of you to be on my side,' Luna said softly.

Harry forgot about the charm he'd cast on his voice, and he shouted, 'Always.'

While the Snapes chuckled discreetly, Harry put an end to that magic. He was so busy focussing on doing that, that Luna took him by surprise when she hugged him.

He was surprised, but he hugged her back, and he realized that it felt _right_ to hold her.

'Luna was telling us about a fascinating dream she's had last night,' Severus said.

Had he not been under Luna's spell, Harry would have noticed the Snapes' smiles. 'What was it?' he inquired, looking only at Luna.

'She said that she'd give you an important message before leaving,' Luna answered.

Harry remembered the unicorn's nod towards Luna as she was sleeping in his arms, and he blushed furiously.

'So?' Severus asked.

'What was it?' Hermione added.

Harry ignored the gentle teasing of the Snapes and focussed on Luna. 'Do you think she told me the truth?' he asked her.

Luna gave him one of her special smiles and said, 'Of course, Harry! She's a unicorn. She knows.'

'Then...' Harry had to pause. He gathered all his courage and went on, 'Then I think I should invite you to dinner in Muggle London.'

Luna was observing Harry, looking for something in him.

'The unicorn hinted that you could be together?' Hermione inquired.

Harry nodded, but he never took his eyes off Luna.

'A perfectly good match,' Severus commented warmly.

Harry, waiting for an answer, ignored his friend. Luna made up her mind and said, 'All right. If the unicorn said so.'

Harry felt as if he were flying.

'Excellent,' Severus said.

'Now, breakfast you two. You can plot dinner as you eat something,' Hermione declared.

Luna and Harry obeyed, but they weren't paying attention fully.

Severus chuckled warmly, which made Hermione smile and ask, 'What?'

'You sound like a mother,' Severus commented, still chuckling.

Hermione wanted to growl, but now that her magic was back, her bond with her husband allowed her to experience the echo of his glee, and she couldn't bring herself to be angry with him.

'I _am_ a mother, Sev,' Hermione declared.

'I know,' he answered fondly.

'Where's my godson by the way?' Harry inquired.

'Asleep in his bed, guarded by a dozen house-elves,' Hermione said.

'How many Protection spells around him?' Luna asked as she buttered a piece of toast.

'A few dozens,' Severus admitted good-naturedly.

Harry and Luna nodded their approval.

'I'll have to check if I can learn some of the elves' magic,' Harry declared.

'If anyone can do it, it's you,' Severus told him.

'Thanks!' Harry said, rather moved by this vote of confidence.

'Well, you're the one who found ways to use Muggle appliances with spells. If there's a way, you'll find it,' Hermione added.

'Besides, when our dear Minister finds a moment to tell you to stop protecting us, you can have a more normal life. You can research whatever you want,' Severus pointed out.

'I don't know what you mean about Kingsley,' Harry lied.

Severus and Hermione had no way to know if Harry was telling them the truth or not, but Luna seemed to have a gift of some sort, and she said, 'Now that you've arrested all the ones who wanted to hurt the Snapes, there's no need to lie, Harry.'

Instead of saying that she had a point, or not, Harry decided to drop the topic entirely (after all, the Minister for Magic had told him to keep his secret mission secret), and he focussed on another detail, 'We can't be sure that there aren't other idiots who are going to try something against them. I know that even Ron's been sending some half-decent posts, but there are idiots out there.'

'Yes, but Professor Trelawney would have said something if they were still in danger,' Luna pointed out. 'She made a true prediction and she knew that Ballo would attack Hermione, but that I'd come to her rescue,' she added.

Harry nodded.

'Let's face it; we might well experience peace now. Well, except the Auror at this table,' Severus joked.

Harry chuckled at that.

The door opened and Minerva walked in.

'Joining us for breakfast, Min?' Harry inquired.

'No, and in fact, I came to borrow my Deputy Headmaster. I'm plotting with the heads of houses, too, and I'd like Professor Snape to join us as well,' she said.

'Why?' Harry wondered.

'Drink some more tea, Harry. Our dear Headmistress would like Hermione to be the next head of Gryffindor,' Luna declared.

Harry looked at his friends; the Snapes looked deeply surprised, but happy, and Minerva was grinning. To his friends' surprise, Harry started laughing heartily.

'Harry?' Hermione asked.

When he calmed down he said, 'The head of Slytherin married to the head of Gryffindor! I'll ask to be invited for the House Cup ceremony each year.'

'We'll be delighted to have you with us then, even when you've moved out,' Hermione said as she got up.

'But, of course, it'll have to stop when your own children come to Hogwarts,' Severus deadpanned.

The Snapes and Minerva left Harry, who was blinking furiously.

Luna made him blush, as well, when she said, 'Where do you want us to go on a date?'

'Is there a place where you'd like us to go?' he asked.

'I didn't accept for the scenery. It's to be with you,' she told him.

'I'll find a nice place. A quiet restaurant, where the quill-pushers won't bother us,' he promised.

'Well, there are always journalists, and I think you shouldn't forget my dad,' Luna pointed out.

Harry froze a bit. Truth be told, he'd completely forgotten to add Xenophilius Lovegood in the picture. He observed Luna and said, 'He won't blab about my life in _The Quibbler_.'

Luna looked at him, and after a few seconds, she said, 'Because that would put me in the frame as well.'

Harry nodded and said, 'If there's one thing I know about your dad, it's that he loves you and he'd do anything to protect you.'

She smiled, and they went on eating breakfast in companionable silence for a moment.

'There's _one_ thing I need to know, Harry,' she said.

'What?'

'Have you recovered from losing Draco? I couldn't stand being just a transition,' she declared.

Harry paled and gulped quite audibly. 'Do you want to hear the truth?' he offered.

'Yes, if you please,' she told him.

'When I saw the Malfoys in the Great Hall this morning, I felt sadness, because, yes, I was about to propose to Draco when Greengrass disowned Astoria, but I felt friendship for both Malfoys, as well. You don't have to fear that I'm inviting you just to get over Draco. I like you, Luna. I've come to realize that I love spending time with you, and I want to spend even more time with you. I know it's mad, but when the unicorn made me understand that she thought there could be some link between us, I immediately liked the idea,' he explained.

She nodded and said, 'Thank you for being honest.'

'Always,' he promised. 'In my life, I've kissed Cho, dated Ginny before she blew a fuse right after the war, and I was involved with Draco for about a couple of months. That's all.'

'There's never been anyone, really,' she admitted.

Harry shook his head and said, 'The students in this school are complete idiots. I'm glad you're a professor for the moment because I won't have to wait for you to leave school, and we can even go out to have dinner without worrying about the curfew.'

'Technically, yes, but I'll still have to work for my non-Defence NEWTs ,' she reminded him.

'Would you prefer a lunch date next weekend, then?' he suggested.

'And pass the opportunity of making the others jealous? Have you knocked your head, Harry?' she asked with a wide grin.

Harry laughed heartily and took her hand. When she squeezed his fingers, he felt completely under her spell. Right then, Auror Potter vowed to be a model boyfriend.

Their first dates were quiet; they were getting to know each other.

When school ended, Luna stayed at Hogwarts to be close to Harry, and she went to work with Ollivander in London each day.

The first days Harry and Luna Apparated together in Diagon Alley, a few people started talking and talks turned into gossips (Luna even had to hex Rita Skeeter a bit, and strangely, no Auror was free to register Skeeter's complaint).

When the summer started, the trials of all the Snapes' attackers were over. The guilty parties were sentenced to fines and some various jail sentences; the Snapes were free to spend their first real break together since the end of the war, and they took the Grangers and Agatha Snape to Italy for a week.

The next time the Snapes saw Luna, she was wearing the ring with the Resurrection stone. Obviously, Luna would very soon become the next Mrs Potter.

.  
.

Over the summer, Kingsley and John decided to stop hiding, and when people saw that the Minister was dating his secretary, well... no one blinked or said anything.

As well, John managed to convince Kate to leave her Muggle job for good and work full time for the Ministry - as the IT teacher while a few departments were being equipped with computers, and from that September on, as the Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts.

Kate was planning to teach her students to use Muggle appliances, and when he heard that, Harry remembered to go attach an addendum to the patents allowing the use of spells on Muggle items, and it made the use of his spells free for schools and students in all the Wizarding communities. Once more, Harry received owls from all over the world thanking him for his kindness.

One house-elf was to be attached to Kate's service at all times in order to help and protect her, and it was Zarou who got that assignment. Within a week, Kate and Zarou were friends, and they could be found in either Hogsmeade or London, having fun together when Kate wasn't teaching.

It was in part thanks to Zarou that Kate met Neville Longbottom and started dating him.

.  
.

While Zarou was befriending and taking care of her new mistress, the other Hogwarts elves were all making sure that Tommy and Max were all right. They were so thorough that the Snapes and Harry had a hard time finding gifts that Tommy would accept; Max always loved each and every toy he was given.

It was by chance that Hermione discovered that Tommy loved spy novels and that Harry realized that their friend under the bridge liked to read newspapers.

The Snapes made sure to send Tommy Muggle (and Wizarding) spy novels every fortnight, and since Muggle newspapers didn't want to deliver to a tent under a bridge, Harry asked Luna to have her dad owl a copy of _The Quibbler_ there. It turned out that Tommy was extremely good at Wizarding crosswords, and he even won a competition and became friends with Xenophilius, who came to visit him regularly and even stayed with him and Max sometimes (in fact, when Luna didn't find her dad, she Apparated straight to Tommy's).

.  
.

Most of Harry's work was related to ordinary crimes, but there were still a few Wizarding people who regretted the war and tried a few odd things. Harry was quite good as an Auror, and he was a bit of a magnet for odd situations and weird magic in general. Nine out of ten strange cases were for Harry.

His colleagues took him seriously and treated him as an equal, even the silly ones who'd been awkward and cold in the beginning.

One day, in early November, Annabelle called Harry to her office.

Once he closed the door, his boss activated a strong Secrecy spell, which was quite unusual.

'Come and sit down, Harry,' she said. 'Tea?'

'Why not. Thanks, Boss. What's wrong?' he asked as he obeyed her and sat in front of her.

She chuckled and said, 'There's something about your arrest in Knockturn Alley that puzzles me.'

'Which case? I've had four there in a past fortnight,' he pointed out.

'The Xitan case,' she said.

'What about it?' Harry inquired as he pseudo-nonchalantly picked up the cup of tea that had appeared in front of him.

'Harry,' Annabelle mock-scolded him. 'I taught you things to be a better Auror and things that could make you a good Unspeakable. I know how powerful you are, and yet... there's something more in this case. Something I can't pinpoint. I'm not about to lecture you; I'm being curious,' she explained.

'You'll have to swear that you'll never mention to anyone what I'm about to tell you,' Harry said.

She nodded fervently and said, 'On my wand, and on my brother.'

'The Hogwarts house-elves have been explaining to me how their magic works, and I've been able to D.I.Y. a form of it from our own magic,' he explained.

Annabelle had been expecting something big, but not such a bomb. She gaped, recovered, gulped and then said, 'Show me.'

Harry put his cup down and gave a quick demonstration.

'And you didn't patent this,' she said.

Harry snorted and said, 'Of course I did, but I put a limitation on it. I want to keep my advantage in the field, and it'll be shared with the Auror trainers only once I'm no longer in active duty.'

'You're good,' she praised him.

'I caught strategy from the Snapes, and I had two fantastic instructors,' he told her.

'About your future...' her voice trailed off.

'Yes?' he said, making the vowel sound longer than necessary.

'When I retire, I want you to be the next Head of the Auror Department,' she declared.

Harry took to blinking.

'This is not a joke,' she added.

'I know, but... Why?' he wondered.

'You're really good. I like your work, and I know you'll be a good replacement. As well, you'll be young, and I'm convinced that it'll be a good thing for your colleagues-turned-subordinates,' she said.

'Young? When are you planning to retire?' he inquired.

'Oh, before your first born boards the Hogwarts Express for the first time,' she answered saucily.

Since Harry and Luna wanted to have their friends from Hogwarts at their wedding, they'd planned a ceremony during the Yule break. However, since Harry and Luna were very sure of their feelings, they hadn't taken any precaution, and the next generation was already being brewed.

Harry blushed, thinking about Luna, about their wedding in a few weeks, about his huge promotion in about ten years (or maybe less if Annabelle trained him the way she wanted).

Annabelle winked, and there was so much warmth in her eyes that Harry grinned and winked back.

.  
.

In Minerva's office, Albus Dumbledore was pacing in his frame. The portrait was eager to have a word with his old friend; he didn't dare leave the office to go look for her because that was the best way to miss her, but he'd have been leaving tracks on the carpet had he been pacing on the real thing.

Finally, the door opened, and Minerva walked in.

'Is there something wrong?' Albus inquired.

Minerva swirled towards him and said, 'Albus?'

'All the paintings have noticed that something odd is going on, and so I'm wondering if there's something wrong,' he explained.

'You do realize that we're planning a Yule ball, with all the students coming back for that evening, and that we've got Harry and Luna's wedding scheduled just three days later, don't you?' she pointed out.

Albus nodded and said, 'Yes, but there's something in the air.'

Minerva knew that even in painted form, Albus could pester her from frame to frame until he got a satisfactory answer.

'Well, I have things to ask Luna,' Minerva said.

'What things?' he asked.

Minerva sighed and said, 'Will you be able to hold your tongue if I tell you?'

Albus glared at his old friend.

'Look, Albus, if you tell the other portraits, it could well ruin my plan, and I'm going to need Luna's help,' she pointed out.

'Is there a problem with the school?' he inquired worriedly.

'There might be something that'll demand a bit of organization in a few months,' Minerva said.

'Nothing bad, I hope,' he declared.

Minerva was forced to smile. 'Absolutely not. It's just that Hermione has discovered, through her unusual bond with her husband, that Severus would very much like to have a daughter, too. If she gets pregnant again soon, we might need someone to teach her class for a few weeks,' she explained.

Albus smiled widely. 'You're planning to ask the future Mrs Potter to come back to teach Defence,' he said.

'Mrs Lovegood. She's keeping her name, and their children will have both surnames,' Minerva corrected him.

Albus blinked.

'Shocked, Albus? Harry and Luna want to share everything,' she said. She was beginning to find Albus's reactions deeply amusing.

'I... I can understand, but they've got time before they start a family,' he said, completely at sea.

Minerva turned towards her desk as she whispered, 'About six months if _I_ am not blind.'

'Minerva?'

'I just hope Luna will be able to help us when Hermione decides to have her second child. I'm ready to bet that they want just two children, but they've probably come to the conclusion, in spite of Severus's earlier conviction, that having a second child not too long after Anthony's birth might be the best plan,' she told him.

'They're two charming couples, and I hope Luna can help you when the time comes,' he said.

Minerva nodded; she really hoped that the two pregnancies wouldn't clash and that Luna would be free to come back and well enough to do so. Truth be told, if she couldn't do it, she'd beg Severus or Harry for help because she didn't fancy having to hunt for a temp teacher.

.  
.

Minerva managed to have a chat with the two couples, and Luna agreed to help, as long as no one objected to her harvesting cores for wands in her free time while she taught, and no one objected.

Minerva was delighted as well because her Harry would come back to live at Hogwarts, at least for a few weeks; he didn't want to stay alone in the Grimmauld Place mansion.

.  
.

The Yule ball was a beautiful success, and then, it was time for Luna and Harry to tie the knot.

When Luna had asked Harry where _he_ wanted to get married, his very first idea was _Hogwarts_, because the school was his first real home; Luna went to see Minerva and the headmistress said that she'd tickle Kingsley to death if he didn't sign the papers to allow her ward and his fiancée to get married in the Great Hall (incidentally, the Minister for Magic had no reason to object to the wedding location, but he made sure that he'd be invited... plus one).

All the teachers were invited, and Harry and Luna's friends as well. The Weasleys made a happy bunch; Ginevra volunteered to help Luna and Ron promised to behave - the twins didn't, but a visit from Mrs Snape warranted that there would be no surprises à la Weasley.

The Grangers and Agatha Snape were invited, too. Tommy had to be convinced, but by then everybody in Harry's circle knew that the kind Muggle could never say "no" to Mrs Snape, who managed to convince him when she said that Max would love the grounds.

The Nettle family was included, and Danny was very proud to be invited.

There was Mr Ollivander, Healer Fille (with Hadrian in a huge basket) and many Aurors were to be there, too.

Harry was becoming friends with many of his Ministry colleagues, and they were added to the list: Lola Slacer came with her mum, Paddy Hoodie was asked to attend with his family, as were Alex Cairo and Adelaide Groops. Even the odd Mr Oof was invited.

Before Harry and Luna had their engagement announced in _The Quibbler_, they invited the four Malfoys to Grimmauld Place. Luna knew how important Draco had been to Harry, and she wanted to make sure that the Malfoys would come to the wedding. As well, both Luna and Harry wanted to catch up with Astoria and make sure that she was recovering from her father's betrayal and adapting to her new life. While Luna was talking with the younger Malfoys and Lucius, Narcissa managed to have a quiet word with Harry.

Harry learnt that Astoria was recovering and that she and Draco were excellent friends now. Narcissa was convinced that her son and daughter-in-law would become closer once Astoria had passed her NEWTs by the end of the school year, but she wanted to make sure that Harry was fine, too, which deeply touched Harry.

The Malfoys were delighted to be invited to the Lovegood-Potter wedding. Lucius and Narcissa were quite surprised, but delighted, that Luna understood how trapped they'd been by the end of the war and that she wanted them to come as much as Harry wanted it. Lucius made amends by finding a collection of very rare books about magical lore that the young couple would enjoy (and that made Professor Snape drool with envy when she saw the volumes).

There was a single bump in the ceremony planning because Minerva should have been the one to perform the ceremony as the highest Hogwarts authority, but she wanted to stand by her ward. Severus was Harry's best-man, and the other professors couldn't do it. The Minister wanted to be only a guest, and he asked John to find someone who could legally officiate. In the end, it was Annabelle Godson who'd do it.

The house-elves were planning a banquet that'd put to shame all the other banquets. As well, they'd made the Great Hall explode with flowers (Professor Sprout wondered if they'd used the greenhouses without telling her because their work was really impressive).

Minerva and Severus stood by Harry as Xenophilius walked in with Luna. Her dress was made of fairy silk that looked light pearl grey or eggshell or bright white, and it made her look like a princess from a Muggle fairy tale.

By the end of the ceremony, there wasn't a dry eye in the Great Hall.

When Harry and Luna were declared husband and wife, and after Annabelle sent the contract to the Family Archives, thanks to a spell, the house-elves transformed everything in the room and tables and chairs appeared.

Once everybody was seated, the banquet started.

The real end of the war had started during a wedding, and now the wedding of the man who'd defeated Voldemort was heralding a golden period of peace (all the more since Harry was an astounding Auror).

Anthony Snape was in his father's arms. Hermione thought that her husband was a worse mother-hen than Molly Weasley, but she was just delighted to see the love of her life so besotted with their little miracle.

Severus didn't care what anybody said about the way he was with their son, and he nuzzled the baby, who giggled and grinned at his dad.

Severus spotted Hermione's look, and he observed his wife. He looked around and whispered very, very softly, 'We could have something like this someday if you'd like.'

She shook her head, her eyes strangely misty.

He leant closer to her and whispered in her ear, 'So, you wouldn't change the unusual magic that bound us together.'

She looked at him and simply said, 'Never. Not in a million years.'

.  
.

Finis


End file.
